Two Russian Athletes Get Doping Scandal
Two Russian athletes got doping scandal. They are race walking athlete Alexey Bartsaykin and shot putter athlete Maxim Sidorov who have been banned for doping scandal. Both of them are proven using substances which banned by WADA. Bartsaykin was banned for four years until 2021 and Sidorov has banned for one year. That scandal also confirmed by the Russian Federation of Athletics (RusAF).
 |
| Alexey Bartsaykin and Maxim Sidorov |
Bartsaykin, 28 years old has been banned since July 4 of this year and he will not be able to return in international competition until 2021. Bartsaykin had won the 10-kilometer event at the World Athletics Athletic World Cup (IAAF) World Race Walking Cup in Cheboksary on 2008. He also was fourth at the World Junior Championships in Poland in the same year. While Sidorov, 31 years old has won bronze at the 2011 European indoor championships in Paris and has won Summer Universiade gold in Bangkok back in 2007. He also competed at the 2012 Olympics and four world championships.
The Russian track and field federation said that Sidorov was tested positive for indapamide, a drug used to treat blood pressure which can also work as a diuretic which banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency. The federation said Sidorov had banned for one year, rather than the standard four years because of the athlete's explanation. Sidorov had been banned since July 3 and he will be free to resume competing next year.
A spokesman for the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) said the further details of the two athletes' case would be exposed in the near future. Those cases both add to the long list of Russian athletes who stumbled on doping cases. The athletes from the country have to pass strict eligibility rules laid out by the worldwide governing body in order to be able to compete as neutrals.