Russian sports has suffered another blow after its men's quadruple sculls team was disqualified from competing at the Rio Olympics for a doping violation.

Russia's men's quadruple sculls team has been disqualified from next month's Rio de Janeiro Olympics for a doping violation, the world rowing's ruling body has announced.

They will be replaced at the Games by New Zealand,

The World Rowing Federation have confirmed that trimetazidine, a banned substance, was found in a urine sample given by rower Sergei Fedorovtsev in an out-of-competition test on May 17.

SOUNDBITE: (Russian) Oleg Shirokov, rower

"Of course the decision was right. There are distinct rules, everything is obvious. There are no secrets at all. Everything is written in the rules. The doctors have to take the samples themselves, and they have to understand when (to do that), why and what for and what it (all) has to do with sportsmen. What kind of assignment, what kind of cycle (they are on) and what kind of regime the sportsman has. It's all totally right."

Fedorovtsev, who won a gold medal in quadruple sculls at the 2004 Athens Olympics, provided a positive doping test. As a reult, the Federation have ruled "the results of all competitions in which the rower participated after 17 May 2016 are therefore automatically disqualified."

The news Russian mens' rowing miss out on the Rio event comes as a real blow.

SOUNDBITE: (Russian) Andrei Goldin, rower

"It's sad news. I'm really upset for our quadruple. Of course, our guys were really strong and they could have fought for the gold medal. They would have been able (to do this)."

SOUNDBITE: (Russian) Sergei Nilovka, rower

"I don't have any reasons to think that (the decision) was dishonest. Because it's not the first time this has happened, and it's not only in our country but in the whole world that (sportsmen) use doping, and everyone knows about it. It's simply a matter of some being caught and others not. If you've been caught, there must be a reason."

The decision comes after The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) first made allegations against Russia in November 2015.
accusing the country’s athletics and anti-doping bodies of a major breaching of anti-doping rules.

In June, the International Olympic Committee formally upheld a ban on the Russian track and field team over allegations of doping, thereby excluding the Russian team from this year’s Summer Olympic Games, which get underway in Rio de Janeiro on August 5.