First athlete stripped of medal in Russia doping scandal

Cross-country skier Alexander Legkov has been stripped of his Olympic 50km title, the International Olympic Committee announced Wednesday after publishing the first conclusions from the Oswald Commission hearing in the wake of the Russian doping scandal.

Legkov, who also won silver in the men's 4x10km cross-country event at Sochi 2014, was banned from participating in any future Winter Olympics along with compatriot Evgeniy Belov, who was also sanctioned for anti-doping violations.

The Russian relay team was also ordered to return their silver medals.

In December 2016, the International Ski Federation (FIS) suspended Legkov and five other Russian cross-country skiers whose names were cited in the McLaren report, which alleged state-sponsored doping in Russia from 2011 to 2015.

The investigation said the cheating peaked at the 2014 Winter Olympics in the Black Sea resort of Sochi where Russian secret agents engineered an elaborate system of state-backed doping.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport last May upheld a temporary ban imposed on the skiers that ran until October 31.

The IOC, which set up a commission overseen by Swiss official Denis Oswald to shed light on the nature of doping by those mentioned in the McLaren report, said "additional decisions from these first hearings will be communicated in the coming days".

Legkov and Belov are the first athletes to have their medals and results annulled in the fallout from the scandal.

Russia's track and field Olympics squad and entire Paralympics team were barred from Rio 2016 and the country remains banned from international athletics.

Meanwhile, officials heard last week that a doping task force, set up by winter sports federations, will focus in particular on Russian athletes.

"The Summit supported the intention of the IOC Executive Board (EB) to take a decision with regard to the participation of Russian athletes in the Olympic Winter Games Pyeongchang 2018 in December," read a statement from the IOC.

Source: AFP