Italian police search Russian biathlete Alexander Loginov HOURS before race

RT
Sat, 22 Feb 2020 20:15 UTC

© REUTERS / Leonhard Foeger

Alexander Loginov

Alexander Loginov, who broke a 12-year losing streak for Russian male biathletes by winning gold at the IBU World Championships, has been subjected to a search by Italian police hours before a Saturday event.

The search warrant served by police in Rasen-Antholz in South Tyrol, Italy where the competition is taking place targets Loginov and Russian team coach Alexander Kasperovich.

Loginov told media that the investigators are acting on a tip from an official from the International Biathlon Union. His phone and laptop were seized during the search.

Police said the raid was part of an investigation into the possible use of doping. The Bolzano prosecutor's office, which issued the search warrant, refused to comment on the case.

Loginov tested positive for a banned substance in 2013 and was later barred from competing. The punishment period ended in 2016. In 2018 the Russian biathlon team was investigated by the Austrian police for alleged doping violations, but all charges were eventually dropped.

People on the Russian team see the morning raid as a form of harassment.

"It's a show, as usual. They came early in the morning, rattled the entire team. And they did it ahead of the relay," Vladimir Drachev, the president of the Russian biathlon union, said.

Saturday's schedule of events includes a 4x7.5km relay competition that Loginov is taking part in.

The athlete said the police raid left him "upset."

"I hope this is not brushed under the rug. I hope something positive comes out of it. I don't expect official apologies. It upsets me a lot," he told a Russian sports channel.

Last week, Loginov brought the Russian team its first gold since 2008 by winning the 10km sprint. The Italian leg of the 2020 IBU World Championships concludes on Sunday with a 15km mass start.

Comment: Loginov brought up the rudeness of the early morning police raid:

"We were awakened by police which broke into the room. They immediately took our rifles, as if we were dangerous criminals and told us not to move. Half-naked, we watched them checking our personal belongings. However, they were interested only in mine."

Russia's Embassy in Rome responded to the news by demanding that Italy explain the reasons behind the police searches and it urged local authorities to guarantee all necessary conditions to allow Russians to continue to train. The head of the Russian Biathlon Union, Vladimir Drachev, also revealed that the raid was initiated by IBU interim Anti-Doping Manager Sarah Fussek-Hakkarainen without authorization from the International Biathlon Union:

"I have just spoken with the IBU vice-president," Drachev told RT. "IBU Interim Anti-Doping Manager Hakkarainen who had been expelled from the International Ski Federation (FIS) signed all the papers without authorization of the IBU and triggered a police investigation. She was expelled from FIS for taking unsanctioned actions. Now I asked our IBU colleagues: 'What are you going to do?' They said they will think about what to do with her. 'It's too late' I told them," he added.

The IBU President, Olle Dahlin, has since said he was unaware of the police raid and that he found out about it on Russian media.