Watch FIFA World Cup 2026™

LIVE, FREE and EXCLUSIVE

Athlete bans lifted after meldonium ruling

Six Georgian athletes along with eight Russians have had their doping suspensions lifted after the rules about meldonium were relaxed.

At least 14 athletes from Russia and Georgia have had their doping suspensions lifted, two days after officials relaxed the rules about meldonium.

Meldonium was banned for 2016, prompting at least 172 failed tests worldwide. But the World Anti-Doping Agency changed its guidance on Wednesday, saying athletes could be cleared if only minute traces of the drug were found in their system.

Many athletes who tested positive had argued they stopped taking meldonium, which is typically recommended for heart disease patients, before it was banned.

In the former Soviet nation of Georgia, six athletes from the national wrestling team had suspensions lifted on Friday, including Olympic silver medallist Davit Modzmanishvili.

In Russia, the national Olympic committee said eight suspensions were lifted.


1 min read

Published

Source: AAP



Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News straight to your inbox

Sign up now for daily news from Australia and around the world. You can also subscribe to Insight's weekly newsletter for in-depth features and first-person stories.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Follow SBS News

Download our apps

Listen to our podcasts

Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service

Stream now

Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world