Russian athletes were stripped of their Winter Olympic medals for being involved in doping.
Alexander Krushelnitsky was stripped of the Bronze Medal after his team’s curling test result was positive for doping.
“We acknowledge that the doping test results of athletes who are positive for meldonium will return the medal”, the representative of the Russian curling federation said recently.
Alexander Krushelnitsky and Anastasia Bryzgalova are also a special case in this Winter Olympics because both are among the few couples competing in Pyeongchang.
What is even more remarkable is that this is the first curling medal in the history of the Russian sports team at the Winter Olympics, even though they attended as a neutral on allegations of systematic doping at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Games.
Krushelnitsky’s test result showed a positive result for meldonium, a substance that helps athletes improve blood circulation when playing sports.
Meldonium, also known as mildronate, is an anti-ischemic medicine, which helps improve blood circulation, especially in the brain. Many studies have demonstrated that meldonium can improve mood as well as increase learning performance, memory and prevent stress.
At the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, a Russian delegation with 168 athletes had to attend as a neutral delegation. The players march during the opening ceremony under the Olympic flag in gray clothes instead of the Russian flag and wear Russian shirts.
On the official website, the Russian Olympic Committee also made an official regret about the incident and said that before the Olympic Games took place, the test results for Krushelnitsky were still negative.
The doping scandal of the curling couple made efforts to restore the beautiful image of the Russian Olympic Committee to the IOC and the world media into the river. In 2016, world No. 1 female player Maria Sharapova was also found to be positive for meldonium, a drug that is banned from use. Masha was then banned for 2 years.
With this indigo, the chance for the Russian delegation to walk under the national flag at the Closing Ceremony will be very unlikely.
“I don’t think doping can help curling athletes. Both psychology and fitness are important in our sport. I’m sure psychology is the most important part”, she said. Anna Sidorova also recommends that all athletes pay attention to their food and drinks at the Olympics if they do not want to be struck by a disaster from the sky.