Friday 6 November 2015

Athletics:Five Russian athletes hit with bans for doping offences

Maria Bespalova in action at the London Olympics
Hammer thrower Maria Bespalova is one of five Russian athletes who have been banned for doping offences.

The 29-year-old, who won gold at the 2008 European Cup and reached the final round of the event at the London Olympics four years later, has been suspended for four years.

The punishment was handed out by the Russian Athletics Federation (VFLA) after it received documents from the International Association of Athletics Federations, the VFLA said in a statement on Thursday.

Four other Russian athletes have also been punished for doping offences; Vlas Bredikhin, a middle-distance runner, and Yaroslav Kholopov, who competes over 400 metres, were given four-year bans.

Maria Konovalova, a double Russian 5,000 metres champion, was handed a two-year ban while Evgeny Nushtaev, a 50km and 10km walker, will not be able to compete for six months.

On Wednesday, former IAAF president Lamine Diack was placed under formal investigation in France on suspicion of corruption and money laundering following a complaint from the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).

Former IAAF president Lamine Diack has been placed under criminal investigation
The investigation is focused on suspicions that payments were made in return for not revealing widespread doping of Russian athletes.

An IAAF statement said: "The IAAF confirms that, emanating from separate ongoing investigations by WADA's independent commission and the IAAF's own independent Ethics Commission into allegations surrounding its anti-doping rules and regulations, a French police investigation has now commenced.

"The IAAF is fully cooperating with all investigations as it has been from the beginning of the process. As part of the French investigation, police visited the IAAF HQ offices yesterday to carry out interviews and to access documentation."

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