Russia's Albert Demchenko raises Tatyana Ivanova as they celebrate with teammates Valdislav Antonov and Alexander Denisyev their second place in the luge team relayFABRIZIO BENSCH/Reuters
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Bring us proof or stop complaining.
That's the message the International Olympic Committee is sending to Canadian luge coach Wolfgang Staudinger after he suggested that Russian track officials had fixed the conditions to benefit the local team in Thursday's relay event.
Canada finished fourth while the Russians captured silver, prompting Staudinger to suggest to the Toronto Star that something was amiss with the course.
"It's always hard to prove, but I'm long enough in the business that I can tell you when people, especially the Austrians who won silver yesterday, were dropping half a second that's not normal," Staudinger told the Star.
On Friday, IOC official Gilbert Felli said Staudinger should "let it go" unless he can prove there was wrongding.
"If he has some proof or some argument then he has to put his process to the luge federations, then they will make investigations, and then after it will follow the process," Felli said when asked about the accusations during the IOC's daily press briefing. "So far it is the first time I have heard that from last night's competitions, but as you know in every competition you always have people believing that people have tricks, and I think they should let it go unless they have proof and someone can bring proof to any wrongdoing."
Canada has never won an Olympic medal in luge. The team posted three fourth-place finishes in Sochi.