ZURICH – The Disciplinary Committee of the International Ice Hockey Federation has issued a two-year suspension to Belarus player Andrei Mikhalyov, effective immediately. The player tested positive for the banned stimulant methylhexaneamine in February.

Mikhalyov is suspended from participation in all competitions or activities authorized or organized by the IIHF or any IIHF Member Association. This includes national/domestic league play in any league which is affiliated with the IIHF through its national ice hockey association. The period of ineligibility amounts to two years, commencing on March 7, 2013 and ending on March 6, 2015.

The positive test occurred on 8 February 2013, during the Final Olympic Qualification, Group F in Denmark, when Mikhalyov was requested to submit to doping control. On 5 March 2013, the WADA-accredited Norwegian Doping Control Laboratory notified the IIHF that the Player’s A Sample tested positive.

Belarus finished second overall in Group F and did not qualify for the 2014 Winter Olympics. Mikhalyov has not played for his KHL team Dynamo Minsk since 7 March.

The decision may be appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Lausanne, Switzerland. The decision remains in effect while under appeal unless CAS orders otherwise. The parties who have the right to appeal are Andrei Mikhalyov, the Belarus Ice Hockey Association, the IIHF and the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).