Lausanne, Switzerland (Sportsbooks) - Russian Evgeni Plushenko had his eligibility stripped by figure skating's international governing body on Monday after he failed to appeal a June decision from the International Skating Union. The organization cited evidence he competed in exhibitions held in March and April of this year. In a press release, the ISU said Plushenko is ineligible for "any ISU activity." For now, this includes the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. Plushenko, the 2006 Winter Olympics gold medalist, and a silver medalist in the 2002 and 2010 Olympics, skated in exhibitions held in Russia and other countries without the express written consent of the Russian figure skating federation. He had 21 days to appeal the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, but failed to do so, meaning he also cannot complete in world championships and Grand Prix series events. Plushenko withdrew from the 2010 world championships due to an injury. |
