A Russian curler tested positive for doping Monday, after winning a bronze medal last week during the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics.
Aleksandr Krushelnitckii, who won Russia’s first medal for curling during a mixed-doubles competition with his wife (Anastasia Bryzgalova) Tuesday, is under investigation for alleged doping, the Wall Street Journal reported. Krushelnitckii tested positive for meldonium (a heart medication the Anti-Doping Agency banned in 2016).
“On the one hand, it is extremely disappointing when prohibited substances might have been used, but on the other hand, it shows the effectiveness of the anti-doping system at the Games which protects the rights of all the clean athletes,” the International Olympic Committee (IOC) stated.
Russian delegation spokesman Konstantin Vybornov disagrees, claiming it was an intentional way for an outside force to hurt Krushelnitckii and Bryzgalova’s chances of winning the medal.
“I spoke to a person who previously headed the anti-doping laboratory, and he said that curlers don’t need meldonium. In his opinion, this is some kind of political act,” Vybornov told The Guardian.
Krushelnitckii’s alleged doping adds further scandal to Russian Olympians. The IOC already banned Russia from competing at Pyeongchang for a doping scandal, but 169 athletes were allowed to compete without the Olympic flag.
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