1ST LEAD Russia lose Sochi skeleton gold, bronze as four more athletes banned By John Bagratuni, dpa

Berlin (dpa) - Four more Russians athletes have been disqualified and given Olympic life bans in connection with doping practices at the 2014 Sochi Games, with Aleksandr Tretiakov stripped of his skeleton men‘s gold and Elena Nikitina of skeleton women‘s bronze.The International Olympic Committee said Wednesday that Tretiakov, Nikitina, and not women‘s skeleton team members Mariia Orlova and Olga Potylitsyna, who did not medal, were punished for violating anti-doping regulations.The four athletes were provisionally suspended by the governing skeleton and bobsleigh federation (IBSF) last December but the suspension was lifted in January for lack of evidence. The IBSF will now need to decide on possible further sanctions as the IOC verdict only concerns the Olympics. The IOC has sanctioned 10 of 28 Russian athletes mentioned in a report by World Anti-Doping Agency investigator Richard McLaren which spoke of doping schemes in Sochi including the tampering with samples. Russia has lost six medals, including two golds. The other six punished athletes were cross-country skiers, led by 50-kilometre gold and relay silver medallist Alexander Legkov.The ruling skiing body FIS plans to announce a decision on the six on Thursday, with the winter sport season having started and the Pyeongchang Winter Games less than three months away.Two IOC commissions are looking into McLaren‘s allegations. The commission led by Swiss Daniel Oswald is dealing with Sochi doping, the other headed by compatriot Samuel Schmid with allegations of state-sponsored doping in Russia.The IOC aims to announce a ruling on Russian participation at the Pyeongchang Games on December 5 after the Schmid commission has completed its work on doping practices in Russia. The IOC refrained from a blanket ban for the Rio 2016 Games and is expected to do the same again, despite widespread criticism. Russia has refuted all allegations.