Brezhniva banned
MOSCOW: Russian track cyclist Yelena Brezhniva, a two-time European champion in the team sprint, has received a four-year suspension for doping, the country’s anti-doping agency said on Thursday. Russian anti-doping agency RUSADA — which has been found non-compliant by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) for “routinely” violating international testing standards — said Brezhniva had been suspended for “violating anti-doping regulations,” without providing further details. Her suspension will run from June 22, 2015, RUSADA said. Russia has vowed to fight doping after a WADA independent commission last year released a report alleging state-sponsored doping and mass corruption in the country’s athletics. The International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF) provisionally suspended Russia over the report, sparking fears that Russian track and field stars could be sidelined from this summer’s Rio de Janeiro Olympics. Russia’s anti-doping laboratory was also suspended over the scandal.