With the support of the Russian Government's Federal Medical Biological Agency, more than 50 bobsleigh and skeleton athletes participated in the session held prior to the Russian National Championships.

International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation (IBSF) President Ivo Ferriani gave a presentation to those in attendance, in which he emphasised the importance of anti-doping education.

"For all athletes the education is the main pillar of prevention," said Ferriani.

"Education is also the responsibility of coaches and doctors.

"The key for success is not only to work hard but to work in the right way.

"Athletes are role models for the new generation of kids, for young athletes in Russia and outside of the country."

In his closing remarks Ferriani highlighted the IBSF's zero tolerance policy to those who breach the anti-doping rules and that the International Federation "will protect all clean athletes."

Following the publication on December 9 of the second part of Richard McLaren’s report on behalf of the World Anti-Doping Agency, the IBSF switched the 2017 World Championships from Sochi to Königssee in Germany. 

The report claimed that more than 1,000 Russian athletes had benefited from state-sponsored doping from 2011 to 2015.

Double Sochi 2014 Olympic gold medallist Alexander Zubkov was among those implicated but was still elected President of the Russian Bobsleigh Federation in June 2016.

On December 30, four Russian athletes, including Olympic skeleton champion Alexander Tretiakov, were provisionally suspended after they were named in the McLaren Report among the athletes implicated in doping.

But eight days later an IBSF independent tribunal lifted the provisional ban after concluding there was "not yet sufficient evidence" to maintain it.