Russia's wrestling team may not compete at the Rio Olympics after recording "tens" of positive doping results, the head of the Russian Wrestling Federation (WFR) said on Tuesday, further inflaming a widespread cheating scandal in the country.
WFR President Mikhail Mamiashvili said an internal investigation had uncovered multiple positive doping tests by Russian wrestlers.
"There are tens of positive tests in the team, everyone is in a bad condition psychologically," Mamiashvili told Russia's R-Sport news agency.
Russian sport was thrown into turmoil last year when a report by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) exposed widespread cheating and corruption in Russian athletics.
Russian athletes have been suspended from international competition and Russia is now in a race to have the ban overturned in time for the Rio Olympics in August.
At least 16 Russian sportsmen and women, including former world No.1 tennis player Maria Sharapova, have also tested positive for the banned drug meldonium, damaging Russia's efforts to prove itself compliant with international anti-doping standards.
The state-owned TASS news agency reported on Monday that two Russian wrestlers had been caught using meldonium.
Mamiashvili did not say which drug Russian wrestlers had tested positive.
Talking to TASS about his the team's chances of competing at the Rio Games, Mamiashvili said: "It may happen that simply none of us go."
The WFR declined to comment.
Reuters
