THE British Bobsleigh and Skeleton Association (BBSA) has said it is “extremely disheartening” to learn that the bobsleigh competition at the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics took place on an unfair footing.
The BBSA was reacting to the news of further Russian disqualifications from the four-man bobsleigh event, which means the British crew led by John Jackson is now in line to receive a retrospective bronze medal.
Jackson had originally finished fifth in Sochi, missing out on a podium place by just 0.11 seconds, along with his team-mates Joel Fearon, Bruce Tasker, and Scotland’s Stuart Benson,
In a statement the BBSA said: “The BBSA welcomes the International Olympic Committee’s recent decisions and the impact it could have on the results of Great Britain’s four-man Bobsleigh team at the 2014 Olympic Winter Games.
“We fully support clean sport and have always wanted our athletes to compete on an equal footing. Learning that this does not appear to have been the case during the last Olympic Winter Games is extremely disheartening and we are pleased that steps are being taken to address the situation.
“Stu Benson, Joel Fearon, John Jackson and Bruce Tasker, and the entire GB Bobsleigh team and staff, worked incredibly hard in the lead up to the 2014 Games, with John battling back from a serious Achilles injury just in time for Sochi.
“If they were to be awarded a retrospective medal, it would be a just reward for their dedication and commitment.”
The International Olympic Committee announced on Tuesday that three members of the fourth-placed Russian sled had been disqualified due to the findings contained in a report by the Oswald Commission into state-sponsored doping in Russia.
They followed the earlier disqualification of the sled driven by gold medal winner Alexander Zubkov, who has also been banned from attending all International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation events in any capacity.
The Russian team is to vigorously contest the rulings, meaning the new results will not be ratified until the case has been heard at the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne.
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