Doping case launched against Russian athlete - tribunal

Feb 13, 2018; Gangneung, South Korea; Aleksandr Krushelnitckii (OAR) during the mixed doubles curling bronze medal game during the Pyeongchang 2018 Olympic Winter Games at Gangneung Curling Centre. Mandatory Credit: James Lang-USA TODAY Sports

PYEONGCHANG, South Korea (Reuters) - The Court of Arbitration for Sport has launched a doping procedure against Russian Olympic medallist Alexander Krushelnitsky, the court said in a statement on Monday.

The court said no hearing date had been fixed yet and no further information would be provided for the moment.

Alexander Krushelnitsky, who competes in curling, is suspected of testing positive for meldonium, a banned substance that improves exercise capacity. Krushelnitsky, who won bronze with his wife in mixed-doubles curling in Pyeongchang, has not responded to a request for comment.

Feb 14, 2018; Pyeongchang, South Korea; Anastasia Bryzgalova an Olympic Athlete from Russia and Aleksandr Krushelnitckii an Olympic Athlete from Russia celebrates winning bronze during the medals ceremony for Mixed Doubles Curling in the Pyeongchang 2018 Olympic Winter Games at Medals Plaza. Mandatory Credit: Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports

Russia's curling federation has also launched an "emergency commission" to investigate the doping case, federation president Dmitry Svishchev told Reuters.

(Reporting by Gabrielle Tetrault-Farber Karolos Grohmann; Editing by Mark Bendeich)