Russian walk coach Chegin banned for life

MOSCOW: Viktor Chegin, former head coach of the Russian race-walking centre in Saransk, has been banned for life for breaking anti-doping rules.

“In accordance with documents received by the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA), the Russian Olympic Committee looked at material which covered anti-doping rules broken by Viktor Chegin,” the national athletics federation said in a statement on Friday.

“Looking at the seriousness of the consequences, in particular, the involvement of young sportsmen in taking banned substances and the widescale breaking of anti-doping rules, the Russian Olympic Committee has confirmed Viktor Chegin will receive a life ban.

RUSADA announced in January 2015 that Olympic walk champions Olga Kaniskina, Valery Borchin, Sergei Kirdyapkin plus 2011 world championship gold medallist Sergei Bakulin and 2011 world runner-up Vladimir Kanaykin had been banned in doping cases.

All of those athletes were trained by Chegin. Earlier this week the Court of Arbitration for Sport stripped them of the medals they won between 2009-13, including Olympic and world championship titles.