5 Russian canoeists, including Olympic champ, get Rio bans (Yahoo Sports)

Olympic champion Alexander Dyachenko and four other Russian canoeists have been barred from competing at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics after being named in a recent report alleging a state-sponsored doping cover-up. The International Canoe Federation said Tuesday that the five were mentioned in World Anti-Doping Agency investigator Richard McLaren’s report last week, which specifically detailed how Russian state officials allegedly intervened to cover up hundreds of failed drug tests. ”This is a bitter blow for the Olympic movement and we are saddened that our sport in implicated,” ICF general secretary Simon Toulson said in a statement.