Canoeing Removes Five Russian Athletes from Rio 2016 Olympic Games

The International Canoe Federation (ICF) has taken swift action to remove five Russian Canoe Sprint athletes from the Rio Olympic Games following the release of additional information naming those implicated by the McLaren Report.

In each case the ICF will impose an immediate suspension pending further investigation making the offending athletes ineligible to compete at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.

There are 27 cases from the 25 Canoe Sprint athletes named in report, 11 have already been sanctioned.

Simon Toulson, ICF Secretary General Said:

“This is a bitter blow for the Olympic movement and we are saddened that our sport is implicated. We have taken swift action and removed all offending athletes where doping evidence exists.”

“The ICF will continue its strong zero-tolerance stance and remove all athletes that contravene its rules in anyway.” 

“We are clear that if you step out-of-line you won't make the start line.”

The following Rio-bound athletes named in the report will no longer be eligible to take to the start line, but the ICF will not impose a Federation wide ban.

•    Elena ANIUSHINA (RUS) Kayak Double (K2W) 500m Women
•    Natalia PODOLSKAIA (RUS) Kayak Single (K1W) 200m Women
•    Alexander DYACHENKO (RUS) Kayak Double (K2M) 200m Men
•    Andrey KRAITOR (RUS) Canoe Single (C1M) 200m Men
•    Alexey KOROVASHKOV (RUS) Canoe Double (C2M) 1000m Men

All the implicated Russian Federation Olympic quotas were gained through results at the 2015 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships in Milan, Italy.

The C2M 1000m quota was secured by Viktor MELANTYEV and Ilya PERVUKHIN, neither were connected to the McLaren Report or have any previous violations of ICF Anti-doping regulations.

However, the Russian Federation selected KOROVASHKOV to replace MELANTYEV for their C2M 1000m boat. KOROVASHKOV’s right to compete has been removed and, as things stand, the quota will be removed and not reallocated.

The story is more clear-cut for the K2W 500m where ANIUSHINA qualified the boat with Kira STEPANOVA. The Russian Federation will now be scratched from this event and the subsequent K1W 500m race that they were eligible for following their qualification.

The same is true for the K2M 200m duo of DYACHENKO and Iurii POSTRIGAI. Both will be denied the opportunity to defend their 2012 Olympic Games title following DYACHENKO’s connection with the disappearing positives list.

In each of the four reallocated quotas the next nation inline from the respective races at the 2015 Canoe Sprint World Championships will be eligible for an Olympic spot.

The four nations are (provisional and TBC by NOCs):

•    Austria – Kayak Double (K2W) 500m Women
•    Germany – Kayak Single (K1W) 200m Women
•    Sweden – Kayak Double (K2M) 200m Men
•    Iran – Canoe Single (C1M) 200m Men

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