Mikhail Dovgalyuk, Natalia Lovtcova and marathon swimmer Anastasia Krapivina were withdrawn by the Russian Olympic Committee along with Efimova, it said in a statement. Seven Russian swimmers, including four-times breaststroke world champion Yulia Efimova, are ineligible to compete in the Rio Olympics, world swimming's governing body FINA said on Monday. Relay swimmer Lovtcova was handed a two-and-a-half year ban for doping in 2013, backdated to November 2012. The possibility of Efimova competing in the Rio Olympics was already a major talking point in the sport. However, it said that athletes who have been sanctioned in the past for doping will not be eligible.

Source: dna July 25, 2016 17:37 UTC