December 15, 2018 (Hochfilzen, AUT) – Russia’s biathlon team attending this weekend’s IBU World Cup event in the Austrian town of Hochfilzen are being investigated by anti-corruption prosecutors over alleged doping offences at the Biathlon World Championships held there in 2017 reports AFP.

Preliminary proceedings have been launched against five biathletes for “serious deception in connection with doping” at last year’s IBU championships. Five support staff are also being probed for “use of forbidden substances or methods for the purpose of doping.”

The International Biathlon Union (IBU) was informed by Austria’s Central State Attorney for the Prosecution of Economic Offences and Corruption (WKStA) and released the following statement.

In its statement, the WKStA confirms that it is conducting an investigation against five officials of the Russian biathlon team based on the use of prohibited substances and/or methods for the purpose of doping. It is also conducting an investigation against five Russian biathlon athletes based on fraud in connection with doping. The period in question is the IBU Biathlon World Championships in Hochfilzen 2017. The accused persons have been handed out the information about these proceedings according to Austrian criminial process law. A raid or interrogations did not take place.

“Es kann bestätigt werden, dass bei der Zentralen Staatsanwaltsanwaltschaft zur Verfolgung von Wirtschaftsstrafsachen und Korruption (WKStA) in Österreich ein Ermittlungsverfahren gegen fünf Betreuer des russischen Biathlon Teams wegen der Anwendung verbotener Substanzen bzw Methoden zum Zweck des Dopings (§ 22a Abs 1 Z 1 und 2 Anti-Doping-Bundesgesetz 2007) und fünf Sportler dieses Teams wegen schweren Betruges im Zusammenhang mit Doping (§§ 146, 147 Abs 1a, tw Abs 2 StGB) geführt wird. Der Tatzeitraum betritt die Biathlon-WM 2017 in Hochfilzen. Den beschuldigten Personen wurde daher gemäß der österreichischen Strafprozessordnung eine Verständigung von der Führung eines Ermittlungsverfahrens (§ 50 StPO) ausgehändigt. Durchsuchungen oder Vernehmungen wurden nicht vorgenommen.”

Russian biathletes were among those disqualified from the Sochi Winter Olympics in 2014 for taking part in a state-sponsored doping programme. The scandal led directly to the publication of the McLaren report, which found that from 2011 to 2015 more than 1,000 Russian athletes across several sports benefited from a cover-up, and left a huge shadow hanging over Russian sport.

Read the AFP report here.