Russia seeks compensation for relocated 2017 bobsleigh world meet

Moscow, Dec 15 (Tass) The Russian Bobsleigh Federation (RBF) intends to take up with the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation (IBSF) the issue of compensation for relocating the 2017 World Championship from Sochi, RBF President Alexander Zubkov has said.

IBSF on Tuesday announced its decision to relocate the 2017 World Championship from the Russian city of Sochi to another venue, which would be determined by the end of the week, reports TASS.

The decision was made in light of numerous allegations on doping abuse and manipulations in Russian sports, mentioned in the recent report of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).

"The preparations for the World Championship were underway in line with the schedule and the boycott of a single country could not have possibly brought such drastic changes," Zubkov said on Wednesday.

"However, when one refusal followed the other and so on, the international federation had to convene its executive committee for a session and it made the decision to relocate the championship."

"As for the possible compensation for our preparations for the world championship, we are currently reviewing our agreement with the IBSF and will be then discussing this issue," Zubkov added.

The 2017 IBSF World Championship was scheduled to be held at the Sochi Olympic facilities between February 13 and 26.

Zubkov also said Russia won't boycot the competition when it will be held in a yet-to-be disclosed venue.

According to a report, delivered last Friday in London by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Independent Commission and its chairman, Canadian sports law professor Richard McLaren, over 1,000 Russian athletes competing in summer, winter and Paralympic sports could have been involved in the manipulations system to conceal positive doping tests.

McLaren's report claimed in particular that doping samples of 12 Russian medallists of 2014 Winter Games in Sochi had been tampered with. In addition, doping tests of two more Russian athletes, who won four gold medals at the 2014 Sochi Olympics, had been falsified as well.

The report did not mention particular names and McLaren later said the decision against making public the names of athletes, who are allegedly guilty of doping abuse, was made in respect to their private life, and, moreover, it should be done by international sports federations and not him personally.

Following the report, the Latvian and South Korean national bobsleigh and skeleton teams announced their decision to boycott the championship in Sochi.

A number of American and British athletes expressed similar intentions, while the German Olympic Committee on Tuesday proposed to relocate the tournament and offered their facilities as the venue for the championship.

--IANS

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