Russian biathletes banned for 4 years over mass doping

Paris - Russian biathletes Alexandr Pechenkin and Alexander Chernyshov were each banned for four years on Tuesday for doping violations linked to a state-run doping scheme, the International Biathlon Federation said.

Pechenkin and Chernyshov were implicated on the basis of analysis of data from the Moscow anti-doping laboratory at the centre of the doping scheme in operation between 2011 and 2015, the federation said.

The two were among four Russians under investigation by the federation since November last year following analysis of Moscow lab data. 

Russia athletes were banned from international competition following revelations of mass doping in 2015. The World Anti-doping Agency was allowed to collect data from the Moscow lab as a condition for the testing cntre's  reinstatement. 

Pechenkin's ban starts from his provisional suspension in November last year while Chernyshov's ban starts from this month.