South Korea to boycott 2017 bobsleigh World Championships in Russia

South Korea is going to boycott the 2017 bobsleigh World Championships in Sochi due to the Russian doping scandal, according to local media reports, citing an official from the Korean Bobsled and Skeleton Federation (KBSF).

An official declaration is yet to be made about it but it is almost certain they will not take part in the championships, the KBSF official said on Tuesday, reports Yonhap and Sputnik.

Latvia's national skeleton team on Sunday announced its intention to boycott the upcoming Bobsleigh and Skeleton World Championships in Russia's Sochi over fresh doping allegations in the second part of the World Anti-Doping Agency's (WADA) McLaren report.

In July, the WADA commission presented the first part of the report based on the investigation, in which Russia was accused of running a statewide doping programme, recommending that the International Olympic Committee (IOC) consider a blanket ban on the entire Russian team.

The IOC instead let individual sports federations decide on the matter. WADA introduced the second part of the report, revealing manipulations by athletes in 30 sporting disciplines, on December 9.

--IANS

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