Seven Russians Given Four-Year Ban for Doping Violations

A sign outside the office of Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) in Moscow, Russia, on Sept. 20, 2018. (Reuters/Maxim Shemetov)

Russia’s anti-doping body RUSADA said on Oct. 31 that seven athletes have been given four-year bans for violating the country’s anti-doping rules, with another being suspended for two years.

Shot putter Yana Mikhailova’s two-year ban has been backdated to July 12, while Natalia Polyakova, Tatyana Kachegina, and Sergey Kotov have all received four-year sanctions.

Weightlifters Valeriy Temnik, Roman Rednikin, Sergey Oreshnikov, and Fatima Umakhanova have all been given four-year bans, ruling them out of the world championships which begin in Turkemenistan on Nov. 1.

Russian media said that Temnik and Umakhanova tested positive for banned substances while Rednikin and Oreshnikov were sanctioned for failing to appear at doping tests.