“Firstly, the situation with Yevgeny Kuznetsov will not affect the work of the Russian Hockey Federation and will not affect the national team of the country. Secondly, we do not have the ability to control athletes who leave Russia at a young age, which has a completely different culture, ”Kolobkov said.
He noted that serious work is being done in Russia to combat doping, starting with outreach activities in children's sports schools and ending with specific punishments, such as, for example, removing coaches from work.
On August 23, it became known that the IIHF disqualified the hockey player Kuznetsov for four years for using cocaine.
He has been playing for Washington since 2014. In total, he spent 416 matches in the NHL, in which he scored 337 (101 + 236) points. For the main team of Russia, Kuznetsov made his debut in 2012 and played in 48 matches, recording 22 (10 + 12) points.
In May, the NHL closed a case against Kuznetsov, which was opened due to a striker striking a video showing a sleeping girl and white powder of unknown origin.
Earlier it was reported that the IOC does not intend to apply sanctions against Russia due to the disqualification of Kuznetsov.