The Russian city of Sochi will not host next year's bobsleigh and skeleton World Championships.
The International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation said it would not be "prudent" to hold the championships in Russia, a country which has been accused of state-sponsored doping.
The New Zealand bobsleigh team Photo: Photosport
The executive committee of the IBSF said it had made the decision for two primary reasons.
Firstly, to allow athletes and coaches from all nations to participate in a competition that focuses on sport "rather than accusations and discussions, whether justified or not".
Secondly, the executive committee said the "current climate" would make it "nearly impossible" to appreciate the efforts of the organising committee, the Russian Bobsleigh Federation.
Latvia pulled out of the February 13-26 championships following the publication last week of the second part of the McLaren Report into Russian doping which revealed an institutional conspiracy to conceal positive drug tests.
That report claimed more than 1,000 Russians benefited from a doping cover-up between 2011 and 2015.
In November, British Olympic skeleton champion Lizzy Yarnold had said she may boycott the championships because of concerns over doping.
A new host city will be named in the forthcoming days.
- BBC, Reuters
