March 26 - The bitter fall-out from Russia's poor performance at last month's Olympics in Vancouver has continued with the country's President Dmitry Medvedev (pictured) banning two top sports officials from preparations for the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi.



Medvedev said  that Valentin Piseyev, the President of the Russian Skating Federation, and Vladimir Loginov, President of the Russian cross-country skiing federation (FLGR),  have been removed from the Government Council on Olympic preparations.

Both officials said this week that they will resign.

Russia won only three golds and 15 medals overall in Vancouver, their worst performance in the Winter Olympics since the break-up of the Soviet Union and they made their debut at Lillehammer in 1994.

Within days, Medvedev demanded that people resign or be sacked.

Russian Olympic Committee President Leonid Tyagachev and Deputy Sports Minister Gennady Alyoshin have since left their posts.

Piseyev, who has headed the Russian figure skating body since 1989, became the latest high-ranking sports official to quit.

Many top coaches and skaters, including Vancouver silver medallist Yevgeny Plushenko, have been highly critical of Piseyev for the way he has run the federation.

Russian skaters won only two medals in Vancouver and finished out of the medals in the Olympic pairs competition for the first time since 1964.

Plushenko has backed 2002 Olympic pairs champion Anton Sikharulidze, who is now a State Duma Deputy for United Russia and chairman of the Parliamentary Sports Committee, as the best possible candidate to lead the federation.

Loginov had headed the FLGR since 2004 but the sport in Russia has been hit by a series of doping scandals.

Nevertheless the cross-country skiers still won six of Russia's medals in Vancouver, including one of the golds.

But Loginov did not think it was good enough.

He said: "Unfortunately, our Olympic performances could not be called satisfying, therefore I have decided to resign as FLGR President."

The head of Russia's freestyle skiing federation has also resigned.

The federation's vice-president, Lev Kofman, said  Alexander Cherkasov resigned because he was "quite upset" at the results in Vancouver.


Related stories
March 2010: Russian Deputy Sports Minister quits over Olympic disaster
March 2010: Putin wants to know how Russian sport has spent his money
March 2010: Russia create new Ministerial post to prepare team for Sochi 2014
March 2010: Medvedev welcomes resignation of Russian Olympic chief
March 2010: Confusion over Tyagachev resignation as Olympic chief after Vancouver flop