Russian skiers retire after testing positive

MOSCOW: Olympic cross-country skiing champions Julia Chepalova and Yevgeny Dementiev retired on Tuesday, a day after it was announced they tested positive for the banned blood-boosting hormone EPO.

The athletes notified the Russian Ski Federation that they were retiring, federation president Vladimir Loginov said on Tuesday.

But the decisions to retire, "regardless of whether they were taken before or after the official announcement (of the doping violations), do not absolve them of responsibility," Loginov said. "Both will be disqualified."