Russian track official faces doping suspension

Updated Mar. 5, 2020 1:15 a.m. ET

MOSCOW (AP) — Russia's second most powerful track official is facing suspension in a doping case, another blow to the country's hopes of being reinstated in time for the world championships.

The Russian track federation said Wednesday that senior vice president Andrei Silnov, the 2008 Olympic gold medalist in the high jump, is facing a hearing on Friday for "a possible breach by him of anti-doping rules."

The federation said Silnov could be suspended from his duties.

Neither Silnov nor the federation has specified what he is suspected of. However, Silnov told Russian state news agencies he had received a notification from the Athletics Integrity Unit, which handles doping cases in track, that he was under investigation. He said the nature of the offense was confidential.

Russia has been banned from international track competitions since 2015 for widespread doping, but dozens from the country are allowed to compete as neutral athletes.

That ban was extended Sunday when the IAAF expressed concern about "apparent backsliding" on doping reforms. The governing body expressed concern about banned coaches still working with athletes.

There's also an ongoing investigation into whether Russian officials filed fake medical documents to give world indoor high jump champion Danil Lysenko an alibi for failing to update drug testers about his whereabouts.

Russia could face a wave of new doping cases later this month after the World Anti-Doping Agency hands over files to the AIU. The information contains years of records from the Moscow anti-doping laboratory, where drug cases were routinely covered up.