Alexandr Zubkov to keep Olympic titles in Russia despite IOC ruling

Alexandr Zubkov retired from competing in 2014

A Moscow court has ruled that Alexandr Zubkov will remain an Olympic champion in Russia, despite being stripped of his gold medals by the International Olympic Committee for doping offences.

Zubkov, 44, won the two and four-man bobsleigh at the 2014 Winter Olympics and retired later that year.

But the IOC's disciplinary commission found him guilty of doping in 2017 and stripped of his medals.

He was also given an Olympic life ban, which was reduced in February 2018.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) cut the ban to only include the 2018 Winter Olympics, but upheld the disqualification of the Russian team which had finished first in the two and four-man bobsleigh events in 2014.

However, in November Moscow's City Court refused to recognise the CAS ruling "on the territory of the Russian Federation".

A month later the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) appealed against the Moscow City Court decision, saying they had no jurisdiction to overturn an IOC international arbitration court ruling, but Moscow City Court has now rejected that appeal.

"A decision has thus been taken recognising me as an Olympic champion on Russian territory," Zubkov said.

"The most important thing is that I have been found not guilty of violating anti-doping rules."