The International Olympic Committee announced Friday that Bowling Green forward Ralfs Freibergs of Latvia has been excluded from the XXII Olympic Winter Games in Sochi, Russia.
His record is now disqualified from the quarerfinal game between Canada and Latvia.
Freibergs provided a urine sample on Feb. 22 whose A and B samples indicated the presence of a prohibited substance.
While the IOC has suspended Freibergs, a Bowling Green test came up negative. The IOC didn’t take that into account because it was not in a lab they’ve accredited.
“Based on the IOC decision rendered (April 25), Ralfs Freibergs’ NCAA eligibility status has not changed,” said a Bowling Green spokesperson in an email to USCHO.com.
According to an IOC press release, under the IOC anti-doping rules applicable to the Sochi games, testing took place under the IOC’s auspices from Jan. 30 (the date of the opening of the Olympic Villages) to Feb. 23, 2014 (the date of the closing ceremony).
Within that period, the IOC administered tests before and after events. After each event, the IOC systematically carried out tests on the top five finishers, plus two at random. The IOC also performed unannounced out-of-competition tests.
Over the course of the Sochi Games, the IOC carried out some 2,812 tests (2,186 urine and 626 blood) – an Olympic Winter Games record.
