Two Russian rowers out of Olympic squad for doping

Two Russian rowers have been removed from the squad for the Tokyo Olympics after failing drug tests, Russian officials said on Wednesday.

Russian Olympic Committee president Stanislav Pozdnyakov told the Tass state news agency that the two rowers had been provisionally suspended and replaced in the team before the final Olympic squad was announced.

Federation president Alexei Svirin named the rowers as Nikita Morgachev and Pavel Sorin from the quadruple sculls crew in comments to state news agencies Tass and RIA Novosti. The 40-year-old Morgachev competed at the Olympics in 2008, 2012 and 2016. Sorin was heading into his first Olympics.

Svirin said they tested positive for the banned substance meldonium during a training camp on June 17. Meldonium was widely used in Russia and Eastern Europe as a sports supplement until it was added to the banned list in 2016.