Hockey could have a performance enhancing drug problem on its hands.
The International Ice Hockey Federation will request the names of 14 Russian players who were noted in a July 18 report from the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Independent Commission.
IIHF president Rene Fasel told Russian news agency TASS that the federation will “for sure” request the names of the 14 hockey players flagged for doping in the report.
“We will do it…, at least if we find out they tested positive we will of course suspend them,” Fasel told TASS.
The WADA report revealed state-run doping among Russian athletes who competed at the 2014 Winter Olympic Games in Sochi, Russia. The host country totalled 33 medals, including 13 gold, which was more than any other nation at the Sochi Games.
It was not immediately clear if the 14 players flagged were members of the Russian men’s or women’s teams. The Russian men’s squad at the 2014 Games included 16 players who were on NHL rosters.
Russia finished a disappointing fifth in the men’s ice hockey tournament at the games with a roster that featured NHL superstars Pavel Datsyuk, Evgeni Malkin, and Alex Ovechkin. The women’s team finished sixth at the 2014 Games.
Canadian lawyer Richard McLaren chaired the WADA Independent Commission, which revealed Russia’s widespread doping program and attempt to cover it up at the 2014 Games.
The International Olympic Committee ruled against a blanket ban on Russian athletes competing in next month’s Rio de Janeiro Summer Games on Sunday. The IOC deferred
