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Five Russian Athletes Suspended for Doping, RUSADA Says

Zykov Kirill / Moskva News Agency

The Russian Athletics Federation has disqualified five Russian athletes for doping, the country’s anti-doping agency RUSADA said Wednesday.

Athletes Irina Sergeyeva, Yekaterina Doseikina, Zilya Garipova, Ivan Khudyakov and Lyubov Kharlamova have been suspended for terms between 1 and 4 years.

Doseikina and Kharlamova will have the results of some previous performances revoked.

The news comes after 19 Russian athletes competed at the world championships in London under a neutral flag. They were barred from showing their national colours or displaying any Russian symbols, including ringtones of the national anthem. 

Russian track-and-field athletes have been banned from international competition since November 2015, when the World Anti-Doping Agency accused Russia of a widespread “state-sponsored doping program." 

Since then there has been a staff overhaul at top sports bodies, such as RUSADA and the Russian athletics federation but international sports authorities have argued the reforms have not gone far enough.

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