Posted on 02/21/2002 2:32:03 PM PST by thesharkboy
SOLDIER HOLLOW, Utah (Reuters) - Russia's team at the Winter Olympics (news - web sites) is considering pulling out of the Games after they withdrew their cross-country relay team on Thursday following "abnormal" blood tests," the team spokesman said.
"It has been discussed with Moscow," Gennady Shvets told Reuters. "This was the last straw."
Shvets said discussions were still going on with International Olympic Committee (news - web sites) president Jacques Rogge and the team is due to hold a news conference imminently.
Russia has had a disappointing Games and was upset by the furor over the judging of the pairs figure skating competition last week. A Russian pair won the gold but after a protest the Canadians, who had come second, were awarded duplicate golds.
Favorites Russia and Ukraine pulled out of the women's 4x5 km cross-country relay on Thursday after three athletes showed up "abnormalities" in blood tests.
IOC sources said the athletes, two from Russia and one from Ukraine, have undergone urine tests but no results are yet known.
Russia said one of their athletes involved was five-time gold medallist Larisa Lazutina. The team immediately launched a protest because it said it had been unable to replace Lazutina in time for the race which was won by Germany.
Vitali Smirnov, a Russian vice-president of the International Olympic Committee, said the out of competition test showed Lazutina's red blood cell count was above the level permitted by the international skiing federation, FIS.
Smirnov said the team filed an official protest because the team was not informed quickly enough to name a replacement.
TAKEN AWAY
"We had a sure gold medal and it was just taken away," he told reporters. Smirnov said he had talked to IOC president Jacques Rogge about the situation and the team would hold a news conference at 6 p.m. EST.
An unnaturally high red blood cell level can be a sign of the use of artificial blood-boosting drugs such as EPO.
Russia, winners of the event at the last four Games, had been hot favorites to take the race which got underway with only 13 of the 15 teams. Norway won the silver and Switzerland the bronze.
In 1999, Marco Pantani was disqualified from the Tour of Italy while leading the race after blood tests showed he had a haematocrit (red blood cell) level above the 50 percent limit allowed in cycling.
EPO, a quick shot-in-the-arm which replaces expensive high altitude training, can boost the red blood cells which carry oxygen to the muscles but it is very dangerous because it can thicken the blood and leave athletes open to cardiac arrest.
Lazutina, 36, came to the Games hoping to beat the women's record for the most Winter Olympic golds, six. She won silver in the combined pursuit.
On Wednesday, Russia expressed anger at a blood test carried out on biathlon team captain, Pavel Rostovtsev, before his opening race in the 20 kms, when he finished sixth.
Team officials said testers had taken far too much blood from Rostovtsev, destroying his chances of a medal.
"We are now talking to the IOC chiefs so we can stop this and protect our team from future provocations," Viktor Mamatov, Russia's chief de mission, said on Wednesday.
Under FIS regulations, the maximum tolerated hemoglobin values are 16.0 grams per deciliter for women and 17.5 for men.
If an athlete exceeds this level, another test is taken at the testing area and he or she is not allowed to start.
"Other hematological parameters will be measured at the same time as hemoglobin. If abnormal these results can lead to anti-doping controls (via urine)," FIS regulations state.
It must be tough being a Former Superpower.
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....I hope....
No-- Michele Kwan needs the competition, and we need the suspense.
France, Russia, what's the difference?
Sure enough, here it is.
USA USA USA USA
If they withdraw, it's an admission that they were cheating, in my opinion.
NO...THEY...DID...NOT!
The Russians seems to be suffering from "middle-east" think.
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