Russian mixed double curling bronze medalist fails drug test

Russian mixed double curling bronze medalist fails drug test. February. 20, 2018 07:41. by Ji-Sun Choi aurinko@donga.com.
An “Olympic Athlete from Russia (OAR),” who won a bronze medal in the PyeongChang Winter Olympic Games, has tested positive on a drug test. This marks the first case among the medalists in Pyeongchang.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) confirmed Monday the case on prohibited drugs without specifying the name of the player. “We’ve been notified that one of our athletes may have violated the doping regulations. The sample B test is underway,” said the spokesperson of the OAR headquarters. Currently, Aleksandr Krushelnitckii, a Russian curler who won the bronze medal in the mixed doubles, is reported to have tested positive on meldonium, one of the prohibited substances.

Meldonium is known to have an effect of spurring blood circulation. In January 2016, the substance was designated as a prohibited drug by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). It has been reported that Russian tennis star Maria Sharapova was banned from competing in professional games for two years after being found to have taken meldonium.

The scandal is likely to cost Russia the opportunity to raise their national flag at the closing ceremony. Russia is currently banned from using the country name and the national flag during the Winter Olympic games in Pyeongchang, owing to the “doping scandal” from last year. The IOC was planning to hold an executive committee meeting on Saturday to lift the penalties and allow Russia to show their national flag at the closing ceremony, on the condition that it competes “cleanly” during the competition in Pyeongchang.