33 Russian athletes face new doping allegations
RUSADA to claim new cases against 19 track and field competitors among others
Thirty-three Russian athletes from a range of sports face doping cases for using banned treatments from a doctor, the Russian anti-doping agency said Monday.
The agency, known as RUSADA, plans to file cases against 19 track and field competitors — two of them athletes with disabilities — as well as five cyclists, a boxer and a gymnast.
The athletes haven't been named, but RUSADA deputy CEO Margarita Pakhnotskaya told The Associated Press some were national team members.
They are suspected of receiving infusions of various substances. Under international anti-doping rules, athletes need a valid medical reason for any intravenous infusion over 100 millilitres in 12 hours, even if the substance itself isn't ordinarily a banned drug. At least 11 of the athletes were underage at the time, Pakhnotskaya added.
All of the athletes in the new Russian case are from a sports academy in Chuvashia in central Russia, a region known for its track and field squads.
RUSADA said it reported a sports doctor to law enforcement under a Russian law against inducing athletes to dope. However, RUSADA said the case was closed after authorities ruled her conduct wasn't a crime because she hadn't been officially informed the treatment was banned.