Latvian bobsledders awarded 2014 Olympic medals

Riga (Brazil), Feb 16 (IANS) Latvia's bobsleigh pilot Oskars Melbardis and his teammates have been officially awarded with gold and bronze medals from the 2014 Olympic Winter Games.Melbardis and Arvis Vilkaste, Janis Strenga and Daumants Dreiskens had originally finished second in the four-man bobsleigh event at the Sochi Games.However, they were elevated to first in the final classification after doping violations saw Russian teams disqualified by the International Olympic Committee in November 2017.The Latvian team were presented with their medals at a special ceremony on the sidelines of the final race of the IBSF World Cup 2019-2020 season in Sigulda.The Russian disqualifications also meant Melbardis and Dreiskens received bronze medals in the two-man bobsleigh after being elevated from fourth to third in the standings.
--IANS kk/vin