Russia doping: Fourcade and German relay team to get biathlon golds

Long retired French great Martin Fourcade has been officially declared gold medallist of the Olympic biathlon mass start race from 2014, and the German men were awarded 2014 relay gold after the disqualification of Russian skier Evgeny Ustyugov.

The International Olympic Committee made the announcement on Friday after executive board meetings which also decided that Russian athletes will be allowed to compete at next year's Winter Games in Italy under strict conditions.

Ustyugov was disqualified retroactively in connection with state sponsored doping practices at the 2014 home Games in Sochi and anomalies in his biological passport, and all his appeals have been dismissed.

The IOC said that in the medal reallocation Fourcade gets the 2010 mass start gold, Slovakia's Pavol Hurajt silver and Christoph Sumann of Austria bronze.

Russia also lose relay bronze from those Vancouver Games, which now goes to Sweden.

Original second-place finishers Germany get the 2014 relay gold, with Austria promoted to silver and Norway to bronze.

The IOC decision was seen as a formality after all of Ustyugov's results from January 2010 to the end of the 2013-14 season were scrapped.

The medals could be presented at a ceremony in the biathlon stadium of Anterselva during the 2026 Milan/Cortina Games, the IOC said.