5 Dec 2018 17:04

Russian Curling Federation disagrees with Krushelnitckii's 4-year disqualification for doping by CAS

MOSCOW. Dec 5 (Interfax) - The Russian Curling Federation demands the continuation of an inquiry into the circumstances under which the banned substance meldonium appeared in the body of Russia's Aleksandr Krushelnitckii during the 2018 Winter Olympics, for which the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) disqualified him for four years, the Russian Curling Federation said.

"The leadership of the Russian Curling Federation regrets that the sole arbiter did not hear the evidence and arguments presented at the hearing. We absolutely disagree with the ruling handed down on our athlete and will continue to support him completely and defend his rights by demanding new investigations in this case, both in Russian territory and abroad," the federation said.

"The Russian Curling Federation expects the full text of CAS's ruling and a detailed report and analysis from lawyers representing Aleksandr Krushelnitckii's interests at CAS. And it declares that after studying them, it is willing to file an appeal and contest the Court of Arbitration for Sport's ruling. We would like to note that the Russian Curling Federation sees doping as unacceptable and fully complies with the Anti-Doping Code," it said.

The Russian Curling Federation was notified on Tuesday that the CAS Anti-doping Division had disqualified Krushelnitckii for four years starting February 12, 2018. It said an appeal against the ruling could be filed within 21 days.