Tuesday 31 January 2017 13:02, UK
Sochi 2014 bobsleigh gold medallist Dmitry Trunenkov has been banned for four years for a doping violation, the Russian Anti-Doping Agency has announced.
Trunenkov was part of the four-man crew piloted by Alexandr Zubkov which won the Winter Olympic title, although it is unclear when the 32-year-old's impropriety took place.
The Russian sliding programme has been heavily implicated in two reports by Richard McLaren into alleged state-sponsored doping in Russia.
A short statement on RUSADA's website read: "The Bobsleigh Federation of Russia, following the evidence provided by RUSADA, rendered a decision to make athlete Dmitriy Trunenkov ineligible for four years for violation of article 2.1 of the All Russian Anti-Doping Rules, the period commencing on April 19 2016."
The announcement raises a particular dilemma for Zubkov, who retired after Sochi and subsequently became president of the Russian Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation.
A second Russian sled, piloted by Alexander Kasjanov, which finished fourth and stands to directly benefit from any prospective disqualification, is being subjected to re-testing.
If both Russian sleds are found to have committed doping improprieties and are disqualified, Great Britain, who finished fifth, could conceivably be upgraded to a bronze medal.
Earlier this month, four Russian skeleton athletes, including men's gold medallist Alexander Tretiakov, had their provisional suspensions lifted by the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation.
The athletes were barred from competition in the wake of the second McLaren report but the IBSF subsequently stated it did not have enough evidence to continue with the suspension pending further investigations.
