Russian XC skier tests positive for EPO

Russian cross-country skier Sergei Shiriaev has tested positive for the banned substance EPO.
OBERHOFEN, Switzerland — Russian cross-country skier Sergei Shiriaev has tested positive for the banned substance EPO.
    The positive result came from an out-of-competition urine test on Feb. 21, in Sapporo, Japan, shortly before the start of the World Championships, the Swiss-based International Ski Federation said.
    The Russian was provisionally suspended from competition until his backup B sample is tested at the WADA-accredited laboratory in Tokyo. He faces a two-year ban if found guilty of doping.
    The case will be reviewed during the FIS Council meeting in May in Portoroz, Slovenia.
    “Every doping case is disappointing since this means that the athlete is not playing by the fundamental rules of sport, which means fair play,” FIS President Gian Franco Kasper said. “However, this particular case is a testament to the FIS blood-testing program which involves regular monitoring of the athlete’s blood values.”
    EPO boosts endurance by increasing the level of oxygen-rich blood cells in the body.
    Shiriaev failed to win a medal at the worlds but anchored the Russian team to victory in the 40-kilometer classical-free relay at a World Cup event in Davos, Switzerland, in early February.