Russian Athletics Federation President Expects More Positive Doping Tests

Russian athletics federation (VFLA) President Valentin Balakhnichyov said that "he expected more doping cases involving Russian athletes to be revealed in the future because the country conducted more drugs tests than any other nation," according to Gennady Fyodorov of REUTERS. Balakhnichyov said, "Don't be surprised if you hear about a few more suspensions coming our way." Russian authorities "have been forced to step up their fight against doping after nearly two dozen of the country's leading athletes failed drug tests in the past 12 months." Last week, the VFLA "handed two-year bans to three Russian female athletes, including former world and Olympic champions Olga Kuzenkova and Svetlana Krivelyova, for failing drug tests after their samples were re-examined." They were the latest high-profile Russian athletes "to fall foul of the doping rules," and Balakhnichyov said that he feared the worst. He said, "It's simple arithmetic -- the more you test, the more people are likely be caught" (REUTERS, 4/8).