MOSCOW (AP) — Five years after the Sochi Olympics, the man who carried the Russian flag at the opening ceremony has been banned for doping at those games.
Alexander Zubkov, already stripped of two Olympic gold medals, was among four Russian bobsledders banned Wednesday until December 2020 for their part in organized doping at the 2014 Games.
They are the first cases in any sport with athletes receiving full bans as a result of Russia’s doping sample swaps at the games, rather than only being disqualified from the competition itself.
Zubkov told The Associated Press he could appeal the verdict, and won’t step down as Russian Bobsled Federation president.