Romania's canoe sprint team handed down one-year ban over doping, misses Olympics

The International Canoe Federation (ICF) handed the Romanian canoe sprint team a one-year suspension from international competitions with immediate effect, after additional evidence was heard at the ICF Executive Board meeting on the July 13 in Krakow, the website of the world governing authority informs. Consequently, Romania will miss next month's Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro (August 5 - 21). 

"The submitted evidence provided proof of systemic doping within the Romanian team with 11 of the nations athletes providing positive samples following out-of-competition testing in April 2016," the ICF website announces, and it goes on by stating that "the majority of cases relate to the use of meldonium after the substance was placed on the World Anti-Doping prohibited list on the 31st December 2015." 

"As part of the National Federation, the Romanian senior canoe sprint team and its entourage will now face a one-year ban from all international competitions, including the Olympic Games. They could also incur a financial penalty for their actions or stiffer penalties if more evidence is uncovered," ICF said. 

Before the doping scandal broke out, two Romanian paddler squads had qualified for the 2016 Olympics: Valentin Cameneschi, Aurelian Madalin Ciocan, Cosmin Lulciuc, Razvan Oltean (K4 - 1,000 m); and Iuliana Andreea Taran and Irina Lauric (K2 - 500 m). 

The National Anti-Doping Agency had exonerated canoeists Leonid Carp and Andrei Stefan Strat because the samples they had provided only had meldonium in a small concentration, within WADA-accepted limits. AGERPRES