Curler Krushelnitsky has passed numerous drug tests - Russian sports minister
MOSCOW. Feb 21 (Interfax) - Russian curler Alexander Krushelnitsky, who tested positive for the banned substance meldonium at the 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea, has undergone numerous tests for banned substances, his tests have been analyzed by the best laboratory in Cologne, and all of them have been negative, Russian Sports Minister Pavel Kolobkov told journalists on Wednesday.
"This athlete has submitted 11 tests over the past two years, including six last year, and the last test was taken just before the Olympics on January 22. All of these tests have been negative. They were analyzed at [various] labs, one of them in Cologne, which has the best and the most sensitive equipment," Kolobkov said.
"All of us are disappointed that this has happened, and we are sure this was an accident. I don't remember such incidents in curling, and this is why the reactions from rivals, the IOC, and the World Federation are quite restrained," he said.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) opened proceedings against Krushelnitsky on Monday. Neither the date of the hearing nor any other relevant details have been officially announced.
Krushelnitsky and his wife and partner in mixed doubles curling, Anastasia Bryzgalova, won the bronze at the 2018 Olympics.