Germany to receive belated relay gold from 2014 Winter Games

The Germany biathlon team is to receive belated relay gold 11 years after the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi.

The Federal Supreme Court of Switzerland dismissed on Thursday an appeal filed by former Russian biathlete Evgeny Ustyugov against the International Court of Arbitration’s (CAS) ruling regarding his doping ban.

In 2020, Ustyugov was stripped of relay gold from the 2014 Games after being found guilty of doping.

Last year, he was also stripped of his medals from the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games after the CAS upheld doping violations.

“All legal means have been used and the verdict is legally binding. This means that the International Olympic Committee (IOC) can now decide on the awarding of medals,” said Christian Winkler, media director of biathlon’s ruling body IBU.

The German quartet of Erik Lesser, Daniel Böhm, Arnd Peiffer and Simon Schempp will subsequently move from silver to gold if the IOC – as expected – applies the usual practice.

Silver will then go to Austria and bronze to Norway.

“I’m pleased that this is now really off the table and finished. And I can look forward to a new medal with a new colour. Even after 11 years, it’s right that someone else moves up if the other is playing unfairly,” Lesser told dpa.

Peiffer would like to have a medal ceremony at next year’s Winter Games in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo.

“Receiving the Olympic medal at the Olympic Games would be a nice setting,” he said. Otherwise, he would be happy to have a garden party at his house.