Moscow – Viktoria Baranova, a member of Russia's Olympic cycling squad, has confessed to doping shortly before the start of the London Games, local media reported Friday.
Earlier on Friday, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) informed Russian Games chiefs the sample which Baranova supplied for testing on July 24 contained the male hormone testosterone.
Baranova, a member of Russian women's pursuit cycling team, admitted to doping, saying she took one pill which contained the banned drug during a pre-Games training session in Minsk, Belarus.
The Russian Cycling Union expelled Baranova from the team and sent her back to Moscow.
“I've bought the pills containing testosterone in a drugstore and took just one of them,” Baranova told the RIA-Novosti news agency.
“I knew it was forbidden and didn't tell my coach anything about it. In the evening came the doping control officers and took my sample for testing. I was afraid and was feeling myself really sorry but kept silent about my fault.”
Baranova added she had never taken any banned drugs before and was sorry about her conduct.
Meanwhile a spokesman of the International Cycling Union (UCI) quoted by the BBC said: “She has admitted to taking a banned substance.”
“We have been working closely with the IOC and we are very happy with this collaboration, which strengthens our fight against doping.” – Sapa-AFP