2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games

Russia's Alexander Markin Banned From Rio Olympics

Russia's Alexander Markin Banned From Rio Olympics

Russian volleyball player Alexander Markin has been barred from competing in the Rio Olympics due to a previous doping violation.

Jul 26, 2016 by Megan Kaplon
Russia's Alexander Markin Banned From Rio Olympics
Russian volleyball player Alexander Markin has been barred from competing in the Rio Olympics due to a previous doping violation.

The 6-5 outside hitter served a suspension earlier this year after testing positive for meldonium during the European Olympic Qualifier, where Russia earned its Olympic berth.

The FIVB later rescinded its suspension of Markin after WADA released recommendations on how to handle a meldonium case and said a "decision-making body could make a finding that the athlete bore no fault or negligence if the concentration of meldonium found in the athlete's sample was below one microgram per millilitre and the test was taken before March 1, 2016."

The concentration of meldonium in Markin's sample was 0.3 micrograms.

The FIVB press release following the lifted suspension said this:

"The FIVB Disciplinary Panel concluded that Mr. Markin committed an anti-doping rule violation but bore no fault or negligence in this case. The FIVB Disciplinary Panel therefore lifted his provisional suspension and decided that he would be subject to no additional sanctions taking the approach recommended by WADA. Additionally, in light of this finding, the FIVB Disciplinary Panel also decided that the Russian national team's qualification for the 2016 Olympic Games would stand due to the fact that there was no evidence that the presence of meldonium in Mr. Markin's system could have enhanced his performance, thus, the results of the Russian team because the concentration was too low to have any performance-enhancing effect."

The FIVB has not yet commented on its choice, but Markin has spoken with local media in Russia.

"I was at home in the morning when coach told me that the FIVB is not allowing me to participate in the Olympics," Markin said to TASS, a Russian news agency. "However, I am still allowed to play for the national team (outside the Olympics)."

Markin added he will not appeal the decision because there is not much time left before the Olympics begin.