Russian cross country skiers caught doping banned for two years

Russian cross-country skiers caught during the World Cup races in Whistler in January 2009 have been banned from competition until 2011.

Both Natalia Matveeva and Julija Tchepalova tested positive for the blood booster EPO, or erythropoietin, a hormone that enhances the production of red blood cells, which carry oxygen. Synthetic EPO is banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), which developed a test for the substance in 2000.