Russian speed skaters Yuskov and Kulizhnikov excluded from Olympics

Berlin (dpa) - Russian speed skating gold medal hopefuls Denis Yuskov and Pavel Kulizhnikov will not be allowed to take part in the forthcoming Pyeongchang Winter Olympic Games.Alexey Kravtsov, RSU president, confirmed the pair were not on the International Olympic Committee‘s list of Russian athletes who could be invited to South Korea."I am clean. I was always honest," Yuskov told Dutch broadcaster NOS about his ban. "I was tested hundreds of times. I‘m very disappointed about this decision."The 1,500m world record holder and three-time world champion Yuskov was banned by the Russian federation in 2008 for testing positive for marijuana.Russia has been banned from the Games over a doping scandal at Sochi 2014 but individual athletes can be invited to compete in Pyeongchang as neutrals.Kulizhnikov, 500m world record holder, was not present in Sochi due to a previous two-year ban. On his return to action, he won the world title over 500m in 2015 and 2016, the 2016 1,000m crown and the team sprint.The IOC has said it will not publish the criteria for inviting individual Russian athletes to Pyeongchang.