Czech biathlon star wants Russia banned from Olympics over doping

Prague (dpa) - Czech biathlon star Gabriela Koukalova wants doping to to a rated a criminal offence everywhere and Russian athletes to be barred the Olympics.Koukalova, 27, said on Facebook Wednesday that fair play and honesty more important than victories, in sports and life in general.The 2016 World Cup champion and two-tiem World champion Koukalova also said that justice was done when two Russian members of the women‘s relay in Sochi 2014 were disqualified for doping practices by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) on Monday. As a result, Koukalova can expect a bronze on top of two Sochi silvers as the Czech relay team is to be promoted from fourth to bronze because of the offences of the Russians who originally won silver.The IOC has imposed life bans on 19 Russians and will decide on December 5 whether the whole Russian team will be banned from the upcoming Pyeongchang Games over the doping schemes. The IOC stopped short of such a blanket ban for Rio 2018.