FILE - In this Feb. 7, 2018, file photo, Russian curler Alexander Krushelnitsky practices ahead of the 2018 Winter Olympics in Gangneung, South Korea. Krushelnitsky was stripped of his Olympic bronze medal after admitting to a doping violation at the Pyeongchang Games. (Aaron Favila, File/Associated Press)GANGNEUNG, South Korea — Within hours of curler Alexander Krushelnitsky being stripped of a bronze medal for a doping violation, the Russian Olympic Committee said it had paid a $15 million fee that was part of the criteria to have its team reinstated at the Pyeongchang Games. The Russian Olympic Committee issued a statement saying it had returned the bronze medal which Krushelnitsky and his wife, Anastasia Bryzgalova, won in the mixed doubles. “The results of the doping samples taken at the Olympics are not challenged,” the Russian delegation said in a statement.

Source: Washington Post February 22, 2018 00:51 UTC