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Russia to Punish Athletes Who Don't Return Olympic Medals

by Associated Press

   MOSCOW --

   Russian athletes who refuse to return Olympic medals following doping
   cases won't be selected for the national track and field team.
   Several Russian athletes have refused to return medals after being
   disqualified from the 2008 or 2012 Olympics as part of an International
   Olympic Committee retesting program. Russian media reported Monday that
   only one medal had been returned so far, out of more than 20 total
   cases.
   The Russian track federation said Thursday athletes who don't return
   medals don't have the right to compete in its sports events and won't
   be eligible for national teams or for drug-testing pools which could
   allow them to compete internationally as neutral athletes.
   The federation itself has been suspended from international competition
   since November 2015 over widespread drug use. It said the new
   insistence on returning medals was part of the process of persuading
   the IAAF that Russia deserves to be reinstated.
   The federation said it "is issuing a reminder that during work on
   reinstatement with the IAAF there are some criteria which have so far
   been ignored by a number of people." Giving back prize money won by
   dopers at non-Olympic events is another priority, the federation said.
   The decision not to select athletes who don't return Olympic medals is
   unlikely to have an immediate effect in most cases, since athletes
   disqualified for Olympic doping are likely to face two-year bans from
   any sporting involvement anyway.
   However, it could affect runners from relay teams who tested clean but
   were disqualified because of a teammate's failed test.