Mystery of the Russian "doper."

Before the fall of the Soviet Union, members of the Soviet bloc (and even the satellites) used to keep their best athletes in "sport brigades" in the armed forces. Essentially, they were professional athletes.
For awhile, Western athletes had to conform to being "amateurs." After the fall of the Soviet Union the rules were changed: professional athletes from the West could compete  and this evened the playing field. But the desire to excel pushed some athletes to cheat. Various forms of practices were tried. The IOC banned certain chemicals and the use of blood transfusion to enhance performance.

It is alleged that the Russians engaged in wide-spread use of banned substances in the Winter Olympics held in Sochi and the IOC considered banning Russia from PyeongChang this year. After testing Russian athletes those who were found clean could compete but they had to enter the stadium under an Olympic flag.

OK. Now comes the case of Alexander Krushelnitsky, a bronze medal winner in mixed doubles in CURLING. He tested positive for meldonium and was stripped of his medal. The IOC now is considering further punishment for Russia of not being able to march in under the Russian flag at the closing ceremonies.

Here are the effects of meldonium:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meldonium

The chief effects are to increase blood flow to the heart and switch from fatty acid metabolism to metabolizing glucose. The drug is used to treat diabetics who have heart problems. Skiers and speed skaters may benefit from using this drug, but not curlers. So, how did this drug got into the urine of Mr Krushelnitsky? He blames a rival. I wonder. The Deep State and the Media are out there beating the anti-Russia drums and the Russians are not models of honesty. If he were a speed skater, I would not hesitate to accept the IOC story. But he is a curler. So, the truth will have to wait to make is presence clear.