1ST LEAD IOC unhappy with bob and skeleton decision on Russian duo By Barry Whelan, dpa

Berlin (dpa) - The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has rejected the reasoning behind a decision by the ruling bobsleigh and skeleton federation IBSF not to suspend Russian 2014 Olympic gold medallists Alexandr Zubkov and Alexandr Tretiakov.The IBSF said Tuesday its Doping Hearing Panel ruled against a suspension because proceedings leading to the athletes‘ Olympic bans may have violated international law.But an IOC spokesperson said Wednesday: "The IOC cannot understand nor accept the conclusions of the IBSF Doping Hearing Panel." Zubkov and Tretiakov are among more the 30 Russians disqualified from the Sochi Games 2014 and banned from the Olympics for life by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in connection with allegations of state-sponsored doping practices by World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) investigator Richard McLaren.The IBSF panel panel said "it would be clearly unfair" to suspend the athletes again because a whistleblower could not be cross-examined.The federation further said it would bring the case before the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).The IOC said it welcomed the decision to go to the CAS , "and the IOC is now analysing how it can support and even join this appeal," the spokesperson said.In its ruling Tuesday, the Doping Hearing Panel referred to former Moscow anti-doping lab chief Gerigory Rodchenkov as the whistleblower who has spoken to McLaren but was not heard in the IOC proceedings as he is now in the United States and under protection there."The IBSF Doping Hearing Panel comes to the conclusion that not hearing Dr Rodchenkov before a proper Disciplinary Commission or Hearing Panel instead of exclusively before McLaren is convincingly probable to be successfully contested before a Court as being not compatible with the principles of international law, Swiss procedural law," a statement said.However the IOC spokesperson questioned this conclusion, saying the results of the Oswald Commission, which investigated alleged doping violations by Russian athletes at the 2014 Sochi Games, were not just relying on the testimony of Rodchenkov but on "other extensive forensic evidence."The spokesperson added: "Additionally, the appeals panel clearly did not understand that this judgement is not a criminal trial but is run according to the procedure of rule applicable in front of the commission which are, as established by the Swiss Federal Tribunal, of civil nature."The IOC has named Rodchenkov a credible witness in the case which has also seen Russia barred from the February 9-25 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics as a team but its athletes allowed to compete as neutral athletes if they are clean.