winter sports season around the corner and another Russian 'busted' for drugs

Shame it wasn't one of their leading female competitors, at least I can post a gratuitous photo then.

Russian cross country skier Nicholas Pankratov has been busted by Swiss customs officials for possessing intravenous equipment and 22 capsules of the drug actovegin, derived from calf blood. Actovegin is not on the WADA banned list, but has been in doping authorities' spotlight for several years.

The original article can be found here in Norwegian, use Google Chrome to translate it.

Sergei Korolev, who is head of Russia's winter sports federations, told RIA Novosti that Pankratov's possession of actovegin with the equipment for blood transfusion is a cause for sanctions unless he can prove that he has a legitimate reason to use it.

News agency reports that Pankratovs case will be handled by the International Ski Federation (FIS') anti-doping panel.

- He may be excluded for two years. If he can prove that there were health reasons to use the drug, he may go free, but it's unlikely, says Korolev.

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Sport is made for betting

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