‘No evidence of doping violations’: Russian embassy in Italy responds to police raid on biathlon team
The Russian embassy in Rome has issued a statement saying that Italian police officers found no evidence of prohibited medicine usage by Russian biathletes during a raid conducted on Saturday.
“The first results of the police search indicated there was no evidence of doping. However, police seized the phones and laptops of biathlete Alexander Loginov and his coach Alexander Kasperovich for further checks as part of the preliminary investigation,” the statement said.
On Saturday Loginov, who ended a 12-year losing streak for Russian male biathletes by winning gold at the IBU World Championships, was subjected to a search by Italian police just hours before the men’s relay race.
The reason for the raid was Kasperovich’s inappropriate accreditation, which prompted IBU officials to open an investigation into the possible use of doping substances.
Исправлена опечатка:Первичные результаты обыска свидетельствуют об отсутствии улик, однако были изъяты телефон и переносной компьютер биатлониста А.В.Логинова и телефон его личного тренера А.В.Касперовича для дальнейшей проверки в рамках предварительного расследования.@MID_RF
— Russian Embassy in Italy (@rusembitaly) February 22, 2020
In the wake of the incident, the Russian embassy in Rome demanded that Italy explain the reasons behind police searches conducted in the hotel rooms of Russian athletes.
The diplomats urged local authorities to guarantee all "necessary conditions" for Russians to train and participate in international tournaments in the country.
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