Russia's Loginov given two-year ban for doping

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian biathlete Alexander Loginov has been banned for two years for doping offences, the International Biathlon Union said on its website on Friday.

(Reuters)

The 23-year-old will not be allowed to compete until Nov. 25, 2016.

The four-time world youth champion was temporarily suspended from training and competition in November 2014, after traces of the oxygen boosting Erythropoietin (EPO) showed up in a drugs test.

Meanwhile, Ekaterina Iourieva has had her doping ban increased from eight years to 12, following a second violation.

The 32-year-old, who was crowned world champion in 2008, announced her retirement last year.

Another Russian biathlete, Irina Starykh also had her suspension extended from two years to three. The 27-year-old will not be allowed to make a comeback until Dec. 23, 2016.

Iourieva and Starykh were banned in July 2014 after testing positive for EPO.

(Reporting by Dmitriy Rogovitskiy; editing by Toby Davis)