Support The Moscow Times!

Olympic Champion Zaitseva Named Caretaker Coach of Russian Biathlon Team

Russia has not had a biathlon head coach since the 2012-13 season, and several athletes have tested positive for banned substances in the past 12 months alone as the country is dogged by doping problems across several sports.

Double Olympic champion Olga Zaitseva took over as caretaker head coach of the Russian biathlon team with her sport dogged by a string of positive doping cases in the past months.

The 36-year-old, who won relay gold at the 2006 and 2010 winter Olympics and also won a silver medal in the mass start in Vancouver in 2010, had announced her retirement earlier this month.

"I received a lot of offers — from the Russian Biathlon Union (SBR), from the Sports Ministry and the Moscow Department of Sport," Zaitseva told a news conference.

"I talked everything through with the president of the SBR, Alexander Kravtsov. He offered me the chance to become the caretaker head coach of the Russian team."

"I am an ambitious person, and I accepted an offer. My aim is to get better results and make sure our sport is clean."

Russia has not had a biathlon head coach since the 2012-13 season, and several athletes have tested positive for banned substances in the past 12 months alone as the country is dogged by doping problems across several sports.

… we have a small favor to ask.

As you may have heard, The Moscow Times, an independent news source for over 30 years, has been unjustly branded as a "foreign agent" by the Russian government. This blatant attempt to silence our voice is a direct assault on the integrity of journalism and the values we hold dear.

We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. Our commitment to providing accurate and unbiased reporting on Russia remains unshaken. But we need your help to continue our critical mission.

Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just 2. It's quick to set up, and you can be confident that you're making a significant impact every month by supporting open, independent journalism. Thank you.

Continue

Read more