Anterselva (Italy) (AFP)

Russia and its sulphurous leader Alexander Loginov are once again in the eye of the storm: a police operation motivated by suspected doping took place Saturday morning at the hotel hosting Russian biathletes participating in the Biathlon World Championships in Anterselva ( northern Italy).

Two days before the end of the Worlds-2020, Italian police raided the peaceful and charming hotel Bagni di Salomone in Anterselva, which houses the Russian biathlon team.

"This operation was requested by the Bolzano public prosecutor's office. The alleged crime responds to article 586 bis of the penal code (use or administration of doping products, note). Two people are concerned, both of Russian nationality, an athlete and his preparer, "said a spokesman for the Italian police to AFP, without giving further details.

The president of the Russian biathlon federation Vladimir Drachev then told the Russian news agency Interfax that the athlete concerned was Alexander Loginov, who won the sprint competition at the Worlds-2020 on February 15.

Loginov, 28, is not unknown to anti-doping authorities: between 2014 and 2016 he served a two-year suspension for doping at EPO and his coronation in Anterselva, where he also won the bronze medal prosecution, had caused discomfort among biathletes.

It is not the first time that a police raid has taken place during the Biathlon or Nordic Skiing World Championships.

- In 2017 already -

In 2019 in Seefeld (Austria) during the Nordic Ski Worlds, the police even arrested five athletes, one of whom was in the middle of a blood doping operation.

Two years earlier, it was the Kazakhstan biathlon team that had been allowed a visit by the Austrian police who, during the Hochfilzen Worlds, had seized medicines.

Russia, it is at the heart since November 2015 of a resounding scandal of institutional doping which was worth in particular to be excluded from the Winter Olympics-Pyeongchang-2018, exclusion which could repeat itself this summer for the Olympics of Tokyo .

"The police came to our hotel at 5:50 am (...) and the operation was linked to the fact that the head coach of the Russian team (Alexander) Kasperovich used the accreditation of another person" , said Vladimir Drachev.

"The police searched his belongings for an hour and a half and took some with them," said the Russian biathlon boss, who then had to go to the police station with the head coach.

- Computer and telephone seized -

Loginov told Match TV that the police had returned to the room he shared with his teammate Evgeniy Garanichev.

"The police were only interested in my business," he said, adding that he could have stayed at the hotel.

Loginov was originally scheduled to take part in the 4x7.5 km relay of the Worlds-2020 scheduled for Saturday at 2:45 p.m. (1:45 p.m. GMT). His participation could be questioned according to the coach of the men's team Sergei Belozerov, quoted by the Tass agency.

"I wonder if the police, after grabbing her laptop and phone, say they need more information and ask them not to participate in the race," he said.

Russian Sports Minister Oleg Matytsin said in a statement that he "had been informed of this operation" and that he had asked the Russian federation to provide him with information "urgently".

"The Ministry of Sports intends to continue to work actively to defend the rights of clean athletes and at the same time to support the strictest measures in proven cases of doping rule violations," said the press release.

The Russian Olympic Committee expressed "extreme concern".

The IBU, the international biathlon federation, for its part indicated "to be aware of the operation carried out by the Italian police": "We will give our full assistance to the Italian authorities and we will take all necessary measures to protect the integrity of our sport, "she said.

© 2020 AFP