Russia Suspends Race-Walking Official Amid Doping Probe

Russia’s Antidoping Agency (RUSADA) suspended one of the country’s top race-walking officials on August 25 amid a major doping investigation.

RUSADA says Viktor Kolesnikov is accused of a “possible breach of antidoping rules,” but did not provide further details.

Kolesnikov directs Russia's race-walking center in the city of Saransk, which has helped turn Russia into a dominant country in the sport.

But at least 17 of its athletes have been banned or suspended for the use of performance-enhancing drugs.

.Those athletes include Olympic 20-kilometer champion Elena Lashmanova, banned for two years in June, and Stanislav Emelyanov, who was stripped of his 2010 European gold medal in July.

RUSADA announced last month that it was investigating the Saransk center because of "multiple disqualifications of athletes."

The Russian team’s coach, Viktor Chegin, was fired in July in connection with the investigation.

With reporting by AP