IOC imposes Olympic life bans on three more Russians, now 36 cases

Berlin (dpa) - Three more Russian athletes, two cross-country skiers and a biathlete, have been banned for life from the Olympics by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in connection with doping practices at the Sochi 2014 Games.The IOC also said that the number of probed cases has risen from 28 to 36 "after additional findings from the re-analyses" of durg test samples.Cross-country skiers Yulia Chekaleva and Anastasia Dotsenko as well as biathloete Olga Zaytseva have their 2014 results nullified and are barred from all future Games.Zaytseva won a silver medal with the relay team but that result has already been nullified as relay team-mate Olga Vilukhina has also been sanctioned by the IOC in the same way.The IOC has imposed life bans on 25 Russian athletes mentioned in a report by World Anti-Doping Agency investigator Richard McLaren which spoke of doping schemes in Sochi including tampering with samples. One case was closed without sanctions.The IOC will decide on Tuesday whether or not to ban the full Russian team from the upcoming Pyeongchang Games, in connection with a report from another IOC commission.