  Russian athletes fall ill en-masse to dodge doping tests January 17, 2018 - 14:47 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - 36 Russian athletes withdrew from a competition in Irkutsk after doping officers arrived at the site of the event. The incident happened on January 13-14 at the athletics championships of the Siberian Federal District, Championat.com reports. Officers from the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) arrived in Irkutsk without warning, after which more than 30 participants declared they have fallen ill and did not participate in the championships, thus avoiding the drug tests. Russia’s Olympic team has been barred from the 2018 Winter Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea. The country’s government officials are forbidden to attend, its flag will not be displayed at the opening ceremony and its anthem will not sound.   Top stories Armenian gymnast, Olympic bronze medalist Artur Davtyan has reached the finals of the World Cup. Gor Manvelyan has denied reports alleging that he has expressed a desire to one day play for the French national team. Roma midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan is not considering FC Spartak Moscow as his next haven, according to fresh reports. 10 Armenian lifters will compete in the 2021 World Championships scheduled to be held from 7 to 17 December in Tashkent.   Partner news |  Latest news Turkey extends military presence in Azerbaijan  The Turkish parliament has adopted a bill submitted by Recep Tayyip Erdogan to extend the mandate of Turkish troops.Russia to begin assessing migrant workers' speaking skills Rosobrnadzor is planning to change the Russian language exam for migrant workers and include an assessment of speaking skillsArmenian, Saudi Foreign Minister meet in Riyadh The two commended the positive dynamics of the development of political dialogue between Armenia and Saudi ArabiaPashinyan: Azerbaijan’s proximity shouldn’t worry border residents At the same time, he said that he “does not guarantee [the security of villagers] one hundred percent”. |
