Russia loses handball medal after 3 players fail drug tests

Vienna, Jan 19 (AP) Russia has been stripped of a European handball medal after three players were banned for doping.The European Handball Federation says the three all tested positive while playing f

Vienna, Jan 19 (AP) Russia has been stripped of a European handball medal after three players were banned for doping.

The European Handball Federation says the three all tested positive while playing for Russia at last year’s European women’s under-19 championship in Slovenia, where Russia won silver.

The EHF sentenced Antonina Skorobogatchenko, Maria Duvakina and Maria Dudina to 20-month bans after they all tested positive for meldonium, a heart-boosting substance banned in 2016.

The federation says in a statement that the bans were shorter than the standard four years because “the panel noted that the players did not knowingly intend to cheat” and “the players also admitted the violation promptly.” None of the three were on the Russian women’s team which won Olympic gold in 2016. AP

This is published unedited from the PTI feed.