Yesterday, February 19, in accordance with the established procedure, B-sample of the Olympic Athletes from Russia team member, Alexander Krushelnytsky was opened. The sample tested positive for meldonium, confirming the presence of the banned substance in his body.
We express sincere regrets over this incident. However, its circumstances at the moment don’t give an answer to the question how and when Meldonium could have got into the athlete’s body.
It is well known that the effect from the use of Meldonium is reached if it is used regularly, and metabolites remain in the human body nine months after the person stopped taking it.
The concentration of Meldonium found in the sample suggests that this amount was taken as a one-time dose, which has utterly no beneficial or useful effect whatsoever on the human body.
The samples taken from Alexander Krushelnitsky prior to the Olympic Games, on January 22, as well as the preceding samples, tested negative. Thus, the fact of a conscious or systematic use of the banned substance is not confirmed.
In this regard, The Russian Olympic Committee will launch a thorough investigation into all circumstances of the incident, which will be conducted in the framework of Russia’s criminal code to establish all details.
We would like to emphasize that in recent years Russia has done a great job establishing a fundamentally new anti-doping system in close cooperation with WADA and the IOC. Our athletes undergo doping tests regularly and much more often than others. At the same time, positive results, as in the case, are purely individual.
We fully share and support the position of the IOC and WADA, regarding the zero tolerance against doping and will take all necessary measures to ensure that those responsible bear liability for what has been done. That is why the Russian side is interested in carrying out the above-mentioned investigation and identifying the true causes of the doping incident.
