Olga Danilova (Russian

Russian language

Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...

: Ольга Данилова; born June 10, 1970 in Bugulma

Bugulma

Bugulma is a town in the Republic of Tatarstan, Russia. Population: Bugulma is the birthplace of noted Tatar singer Alsou. It is also the location for a series of short stories by Czech writer Jaroslav Hašek, some of which have been published in English under the title 'The Red...

, Tatar ASSR) is a Russia

Russia

Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...

n cross country skier who competed from 1991 until she was banned for using performance enhancing drugs in 2002. Her statistics are listed as:

• Height: 168 cm
• Weight: 56 kg

Danilova won a total of eleven medals at the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships

FIS Nordic World Ski Championships

The FIS Nordic World Ski Championships have been held in various numbers and types of events since 1925 for men and since 1954 for women. Championship events include nordic skiing's three disciplines: cross-country skiing, ski jumping, and nordic combined...

, including four golds (4 x 5 km: 1995, 1997, 1999, 2001), four silvers (5 km: 1999, 10 km: 2001, 15 km: 2001, 30 km: 1999), and three bronzes (5 km + 10 km combined pursuit: 1995, 5 km: 1997, 5 km + 5 km combined pursuit: 2001). She also won the 30 km event at the Holmenkollen ski festival

Holmenkollen ski festival

The Holmenkollen Ski Festival is a traditional annual Nordic skiing event in Holmenkollen, Oslo, Norway. The full official name of the event is Holmenkollen FIS World Cup Nordic. It takes place in March and has been arranged every year since 1892, except for 1898 and during World War II...

 in 2000.

Danilova won three medals at the 1998 Winter Olympics

1998 Winter Olympics

The 1998 Winter Olympics, officially the XVIII Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event celebrated from 7 to 22 February 1998 in Nagano, Japan. Seventy-two nations and 2,176 participans contested in seven sports and 72 events at 15 venues. The games saw the introduction of Women's ice...

 in Nagano, with a gold in the 15 km classical and the 4 x 5 km, and a silver in the 5 km + 10 km combined pursuit.

In 2002 she again participated in the cross country skiing

Cross-country skiing at the 2002 Winter Olympics

The cross-country skiing events at the 2002 Winter Olympics were marred by drug problems. The winners of three races were disqualified after blood tests showed that three skiers had overly high red blood cell counts indicating the use of darbepoetin, a drug used to treat anemia...

 events at the 2002 Winter Olympics

2002 Winter Olympics

The 2002 Winter Olympics, officially the XIX Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event that was celebrated in February 2002 in and around Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. Approximately 2,400 athletes from 77 nations participated in 78 events in fifteen disciplines, held throughout...

. Danilova won two medals with a gold in the 5 km + 5 km combined putsuit and a silver in the 10 km classical. However, she was one of three cross-country skiers (together with Johann Mühlegg

Johann Mühlegg

Johann Mühlegg is a Spanish top level cross-country skier who has competed in international competitions first representing Germany and then Spain, after becoming a Spanish citizen in 1999...

 and Larisa Lazutina

Larisa Lazutina

Larisa Evgenevna Lazutina is a former professional cross country skier who competed for Russia during several Winter Olympic Games. In the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan, she won five medals in skiing events: three gold, a silver and a bronze...

) who was disqualified after blood tests indicated the use of darbepoetin, a drug intended to boost red blood cell production.

The February 2004 the I.O.C.

International Olympic Committee

The International Olympic Committee is an international corporation based in Lausanne, Switzerland, created by Pierre de Coubertin on 23 June 1894 with Demetrios Vikelas as its first president...

 stripped Danilova's medal awards following a Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) ruling in December, 2003. The results were amended accordingly. As a result of the use of the banned substance, Olga Danilova received a two-year ban by the International Ski Federation in 2002. Later publications in professional medical literature were suggesting that the results of the tests may have been false, but WADA

World Anti-Doping Agency

The World Anti-Doping Agency , , is an independent foundation created through a collective initiative led by the International Olympic Committee . It was set up on November 10, 1999 in Lausanne, Switzerland, as a result of what was called the "Declaration of Lausanne", to promote, coordinate and...

 and I.O.C. refused to change the decision.

See also

• Larisa Lazutina
  Larisa Lazutina
  Larisa Evgenevna Lazutina is a former professional cross country skier who competed for Russia during several Winter Olympic Games. In the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan, she won five medals in skiing events: three gold, a silver and a bronze...
  
  
• Johann Mühlegg
  Johann Mühlegg
  Johann Mühlegg is a Spanish top level cross-country skier who has competed in international competitions first representing Germany and then Spain, after becoming a Spanish citizen in 1999...
  
  
• List of sportspeople sanctioned for doping offences

External links

• Holmenkollen winners since 1892 - click Vinnere for downloadable pdf file
• IOC Executive Board disqualifies Muehlegg and Danilova from the Salt Lake City Games — IOC press release, 28 February 2004.
• Olga Danilova Olympic medals and stats.