The Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) has confirmed that seven athletes have been disqualified for doping offences. The most high-profile of these is Dmitry Trunenkov (Дмитрий Труненков – pictured), who won a gold medal at the Sochi 2014 Olympics and will serve a four-year ban. ‘The Russian bobsleigh federation, on the basis of an pursuant to the decision of the Disciplinary Committee of RUSADA, decided to disqualify the athlete Dmitry Trunenkov for four years, starting from 19 April 2016’, read a RUSADA statement.

Trunenkov returned an adverse analytical finding (AAF) for a metabolite of stanazonol last year, but maintains that he never knowingly ingested the substance. Although he retired in August last year, he is considering an appeal as although the sanction will not affect his Sochi 2014 gold medal, he considers that it would damage his reputation.

‘This drug was used by athletes in the mid-1980s, and you’d have to be an idiot to use it today’, he said via a statement on the CSKA (Russian army sports club) website. ‘I’ve been analysing how this substance could get into my body – it could be via a nutritional supplement – but I did not find an answer. In my opinion, this is another provocation aimed against Russian sport. I did not use this drug. At the moment, I have not yet decided whether I will file an appeal. I am 32-years old and completed my career in August last year, however I intend to enter the history of Russian sport as a man with a spotless reputation.’

The second announcement issued by RUSADA involves sanctions issued to two Russian wrestlers, Khatuev Turpal (Турпала Хатуева) and Adlan Munapov (Адлана Мунапова). ‘The Russian Wrestling Federation, following the materials provided by the RUSADA Disciplinary Anti-Doping Committee, rendered a decision that makes Khatuev Turpal ineligible for two years and Munapov Adlan ineligible for four years’, read a RUSADA statement.

RUSADA also confirmed that the Russian rowing federation had issued a one-year ban to Yuliya Solomentseva; the Russian weightlifting federation had issued a four-year ban to Viktoriya Kosenkova; and that the Russian Athletics Federation (RusAF) had sanctioned German Komarov and Alexander Yargunkin with four-year bans.