December 22, 2014 – As officially announced in late November, the IBU pro-actively decided to re-analyze some samples that showed atypical results in the previous seasons and were therefore stored for potential future analysis. As a result, five samples were reported positive for recombinant EPO from the WADA laboratory.

Three of the samples belong to two athletes who were already suspended by the IBU’s Anti – Doping Hearing Panel on July 14th 2014, namely Ms. Ekaterina IOURIEVA (one re-analyzed sample) and Ms. Irina STARYKH (two re-analyzed samples).

Ms. Ekaterina IOURIEVA was found to be ineligible to compete for a period of eight (8) years, commencing on December 13th 2013 and Irina STARYKH was found to be ineligible to compete for a period of two years, commencing on December 23th 2013.

Both athletes waived the B sample analysis of the re-analyzed samples.

Ms. Irina STARYKH’s re-analyzed sample was collected in Oberhof (GER) on 2 January 2014 and Ms. Ekaterina IOURIEVA’s samples for re-analysis were collected in Östersund (SWE) on 28 and 29 November 2013. The samples were taken by IBU.

The IBU Anti – Doping Hearing panel has now to decide about the possibility of increasing the period of ineligibility for both athletes.

Moreover the IBU implemented two new provisional suspensions effective as of November 25, 2014 and one effective as of December 15, 2014. The details with regard to the two latter cases will be communicated as soon as this is legally possible.