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IBSF slaps Russian bobsledder Voevoda with 2-year suspension over doping accusations

The International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation has slapped Russian bobsledder Alexei Voevoda citing violations of anti-doping rules at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi

Alexei Voevoda Valery Sharifulin/TASS

Alexei Voevoda

© Valery Sharifulin/TASS

MOSCOW, January 29. /TASS/. The International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation (IBSF) has slapped Russian bobsledder Alexei Voevoda citing violations of anti-doping rules at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, a source in the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) told TASS on Tuesday.

According to the source, the IBSF ruled that the term of Voevoda’s two-year suspension begins from December 21, 2018.

Read also

IBSF slaps suspensions on Russian bobsleigh chief and three national bobsledders

"We have received a notification that bobsledder Alexei Voevoda has been suspended by the international federation for the period of two years [from December 21, 2018 and until December 20, 2020] for violations of anti-doping regulations," the source told TASS.

Voevoda has the right to appeal the IBSF’s suspension ruling with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) within a period of 21 days.

The IBSF announced on January 16 its decision to suspend from all sports-related activities until 2020 RBF (Russian Bobsleigh Federation) President Alexander Zubkov, citing violations of anti-doping regulations. The international organization added that three Russian bobsledders, namely Alexander Kasyanov, Ilvir Khuzin and Alexei Pushkarev, were also slapped with suspensions until 2020 for violating anti-doping rules.

Last week, Zubkov announced that he temporarily resigned from the post of the RBF president and Yelena Anikina, a member of the RBF Presidium, was appointed the acting president of the national bobsleigh federation.

The IOC Disciplinary Commission, chaired by Denis Oswald, announced in late 2017 that Zubkov, Voevoda, Kasyanov, Pushkaryov and Khuzin were guilty of anti-doping rules violations, annulled their results of the 2014 Sochi Olympics and issued a life-time ban from all Olympics. The Swiss-based CAS later ruled against the life-time ban ruling that the bobsledders at the issue were ordered to skip the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang.

At the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi Voevoda and Zubkov won gold in the two-man’s bobsleigh event and the gold in the four-man’s bobsleigh event. After the Sochi Olympics they announced a decision to wrap up with their sports careers.

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