1ST LEAD Double Olympic bob champ among four more Russians with life bans By John Bagratuni, dpa

Berlin (dpa) - Four more Russians, led by double bobsleigh gold medallist Aleksandr Zubkov, have been banned from the Olympics for life over doping practices at the 2014 Sochi Games, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) said on Friday.The IOC said that Zubkov, fellow bobsledder Olga Stulneva as well as speed skaters Olga Fatkulina and Alexander Rumyantsev were sanctioned. Zubkov won the two- and four-man bob gold medals in Sochi, Fatkulina 500-metre silver.The IOC has now imposed life bans on 14 Russian athletes from four sports and nullified their 2014 results after World Anti-Doping Agency investigator Richard McLaren spoke of doping schemes in Sochi including the tampering with samples in his reports. Russia has lost nine medals, including four golds. In all, 28 Russian athletes have been implicated.Also on Friday, an IOC spokesman said that on Monday, the IOC will publish "the reasoning for the first case" handled by its disciplinary committee, without giving a name or sport.Sanctioned athletes apart from Friday‘s four are six cross-country skiers led by 50-kilometres gold medallist Alexander Legkov; and four skeleton sliders including gold medallist Aleksandr Tretiakov.The governing skeleton body has suspended its four athletes as a result.Skiing‘s FIS had its six athletes suspended from December 2016 until last month but said it could not take new action until it had received reasoned decisions from the IOC and that the athletes were eligible to compete in the World Cup which started Friday.The IOC spokesman meanwhile said: "All International Federations concerned by the cases handled by the Disciplinary Commission have already received all evidences as interested parties of such cases and had the opportunity to take part in the hearings." McLaren was investigating the claims of whistleblower Grigory Rodchenkov, the former chief of the Moscow anti-doping laboratory, that tainted urine samples were swapped for clean ones at the Sochi lab during the 2014 Games, with the assistance of Russian security services.This is investigated by one IOC commission headed by Swiss Denis Oswald which has also imposed the sanctions on the 14 athletes.A second commission headed by compatriot Samuel Schmid is looking into allegations of state-sponsored doping in Russian sport.The IOC aims to announce on December 5 a ruling on Russian participation at the upcoming Pyeongchang Winter Olympics after the Schmid commission has completed its work.The IOC refrained from a blanket ban for the Rio 2016 summer Games and is expected to do the same again, despite widespread criticism. Russia has denied all allegations.