Doping Scandal Leads to Disqualification of Russian Biathlete's Olympic Triumph

Originally published in SVT Sport on February 15, 2020

Former Russian biathlete Yevgeny Ustygov has been found guilty of doping and is set to forfeit several medals, including his gold from the 2014 Olympic Games.

"It's truly unfortunate when such doping cases come to light," stated Sebastian Samuelsson in an interview with SVT Sport.

Ustygov was among four Russian athletes accused of doping back in late 2018, alongside Svetlana Sleptsova, Aleksandr Chernyshov, and Aleksandr Petyshev. Chernyshov and Petyshev received bans in June 2019. Although Ustygov had claimed multiple medals in both the Olympics and World Championships, he was initially cleared of any wrongdoing.

However, the International Biathlon Union (IBU) launched a new investigation, utilizing evidence from samples collected in 2013. This led to the recent ruling against Ustygov and Sleptsova.

Helena Ekholm, SVT's biathlon expert, remarked, "I have competed a lot against Sleptsova, and her performances were often erratic. It was suspicious, and now we see the result of that."

Niklas Carlsson, the director of the IBU, added, "It's sad to see these kinds of things happening, but it's important to note that athletes have three weeks to appeal."

So, what can we anticipate moving forward?
"I truly hope we are nearing the end of issues stemming from what Russia has done to the sport," Carlsson concluded.

As a result of this ruling, all of Ustygov’s results from the World Cup, spanning from August 2013 to the end of the 2013-14 season, will be annulled. This includes his celebrated Olympic gold medal.