The International Olympic Committee (IOC) today announced that Johannes Duerr of Austria has been excluded from the XXII Olympic Winter Games in Sochi.

Duerr, 27, tested positive on 22 February for the banned substance recombinant erythropoietin (EPO).

The IOC Disciplinary Commission, composed for this case of Denis Oswald (Chairman), Gunilla Lindberg and Claudia Bokel, decided the following:

I. The Athlete, Mr Johannes Duerr, Austria, Cross-Country Skiing:

(i) is disqualified from the Men’s 15km + 15km Skiathlon event where he placed 8th;

(ii) shall have his diploma in the above-mentioned event withdrawn;

(iii) is excluded from the XXII Olympic Winter Games in Sochi in 2014;

II. The Austrian Olympic Committee is ordered to return to the IOC, as soon as possible, the diploma awarded to the Athlete;

III. The International Ski Federation is requested to modify the results of the above-mentioned event accordingly and to consider any further action within its own competence;

IV. The IOC administration is requested to reallocate the diploma withdrawn from the Athlete in accordance with the new ranking provided by the International Ski Federation; and

V. This decision shall enter into force immediately.

Under the IOC Anti-Doping Rules applicable to the 2014 Sochi Olympic Winter Games, testing took place under the IOC's auspices from 30 January (the date of the opening of the Olympic Villages) to 23 February 2014 (the date of the Closing Ceremony). Within that period, the IOC systematically performed tests before and after events. After each event, the IOC systematically carried out tests on the top five finishers plus two at random. The IOC also performed unannounced out-of-competition tests. Over the course of the Sochi Games, the IOC carried out some 2,812 tests – an Olympic Winter Games record.