Russian ice-hockey star Danis Zaripov -- a three-time world champion who played for Russia at the 2010 Olympics -- has been banned from competition for nearly two years for using banned performance-enhancing drugs.
The Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) said on July 25 that the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) banned Zaripov until May 2019.
The KHL says Zaripov tested positive during the 2016-17 season for unnamed substances -- including a stimulant and a banned masking agent.
The 36-year-old Zaripov is considered one of the world's best hockey players outside North America's National Hockey League (NHL).
The KHL also said the IIHF banned Canadian defender Derek Smith until September 2018 for a failed test, and Russian defender Andrei Konev until September.
The Russia's athletics federation, the Paralympic committee, and the national anti-doping agency RUSADA remain suspended over reports of widespread doping.
