Beijing 2008 gold medallist Andrei Silnov has stepped down from his post as first vice-president of the Russian Athletics Federation ©Getty Images

Beijing 2008 high jump gold medallist Andrei Silnov has stepped down from his post as first vice-president of the Russian Athletics Federation (RusAF).

It was this week revealed Silnov was being investigated by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) following the reanalysis of doping samples.

As reported by the Associated Press, the 34-year-old will no longer sit on RusAF’s Board.

It had been reported Silnov, who confirmed the AIU investigation which Russia's official state news agency TASS said concerned drugs tests taken in 2013, could be suspended from the first vice-president role following a meeting today.

He lost a Presidential election by 36 votes to 31 to Dmitry Shlyakhtin in December 2016 and took on the secondary position instead.

The news surrounding Silnov is the latest scandal to hit Russian athletics, which has been accused of an institutional scheme of doping and cover-ups for nearly four years, leading to numerous athletes and coaches being sanctioned.

In November 2015, the RusAF was banned by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) and the world governing body extended this for the 11th time on Sunday (June 9).

This followed claims that the RusAF had aided the forging of paperwork to help Russian world indoor high jump champion Danil Lysenko avoid a drugs ban.

Andrei Silnov won the high jump gold medal at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games ©Getty Images
Andrei Silnov won the high jump gold medal at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games ©Getty Images

Other reports had also claimed that banned coaches and medical staff remained active.

Silnov's career also included winning the European title in Gothenburg in 2006 and world indoor silver in Istanbul in 2012.

Another Russian high jumper, Maria Lasitskene, has called for change at the top of RusAF after the IAAF's latest extension to its ban.

The 26-year-old double world champion has won every major title since 2015, except the Rio 2016 Olympic Games where Russia's track and field team were barred.

She has been forced to compete as a neutral athlete alongside compatriots who have been able to prove that their drug-testing has taken place outside of the Russian system.

Yury Ganus, the Russian Anti-Doping Agency chief executive, has also claimed that the entire management and coaching staff of the RusAF should be replaced, including Shlyakhtin as President.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered the Russian Olympic Committee to ensure that the IAAF ban is lifted in time for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, however.