The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has overturned the life ban of Russian biathletes Olga Vilukhina, Yana Romanova and Olga Zaitseva.
The three biathletes were banned for life in 2017 for doping offences at the 2014 Winter Olympic Games in Sochi, where they earned the silver medal in the 4×6 kilometres relay.
CAS suspended its review last year after agreement from all parties, with the expectation that it would proceed once decisions had been made on other remaining doping cases involving Russian athletes at Sochi 2014.
A common hearing with the athletes took place on March 2 and 3.
A panel of arbitrators concluded that none of the acts alleged to have committed by Vilukhina and Romanova had been established to “comfortable satisfaction” and beyond the suspicion of a doping violation.
Accordingly, the panel has ordered the findings and sanctions imposed upon Vilukhina and Romanova be removed and their results in individual events at Sochi 2014 reinstated.
Vilukhina will subsequently have the silver medal she earned in the women’s 7.5 km sprint returned to her.
But the panel ruled that Zaitseva committed a doping violation, with the IOC decision confirmed.
Her life ban was still overturned, however, with Zaitseva instead declared ineligible for the 2018 Winter Olympic Games in Pyeongchang.
All other decisions made by the IOC were retained, including the disqualification of the results achieved by the Russian team in the women’s 4x6km event and the relay mix event at Sochi 2014.
The trio of biathletes appealed to the CAS following sanctions by the IOC Disciplinary Commission, after their alleged involvement in Russia’s state-sponsored doping scheme.
It followed evidence from the McLaren Report, as well as subsequent investigations by IOC Commissions.
The IOC’s Oswald Commission decision on Zaitseva was also one of the stronger verdicts delivered.
It claimed the gold medallist at the Turin 2006 and Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Games was a knowing participant in the state-sponsored doping scheme.
The Commission’s full reasoned decision also said samples given by Zaitseva, Romanova and Vilukhina had marks indicative of tampering and were found to contain abnormal levels of salt.
But in February 2018, the CAS overturned 28 cases involving Russian athletes, stating “the evidence collected was found to be insufficient to establish that an anti-doping rule violation (ADRV) was committed by the athletes concerned”.
A further 11 cases were found to have enough evidence to uphold the sanctions.
Zaitseva, Romanova and Vilukhina – who had already retired – were the only athletes whose cases were held over.
Separately, Zaitseva, Romanova and Vilukhina filed a lawsuit against Grigory Rodchenkov, the former head of the Moscow Anti-doping Laboratory who turned whistleblower and provided much of the evidence against Russian athletes.
The lawsuit was backed by Russian oligarch Mikhail Prokhorov, owner of the National Basketball Association team the Brooklyn Nets.
It claimed Rodchenkov defamed the three biathletes.
Insidethegames has contacted the IOC, World Anti-Doping Agency and Rodchenkov for comment.
Culled from Insidethegames.
