Ians

Moscow: The Bobsleigh and Skeleton World Championships 2017, originally planned to be held in Russia's southern city of Sochi, will be held in Konigssee, Germany, the International Federation of Bobsleigh and Skeleton (IBSF) has said in a statement.

The IBSF announced the tournament's new host on Monday, reports Sputnik.

The world body had announced on December 13 to move the championships, due to be held in Sochi from February 13 to 26, to an unspecified location "to allow athletes to participate in a competition that focuses on sport rather than accusations".

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov had called the decision regrettable and politicised.

Earlier, the World Anti-Doping Agency's (WADA) Independent Commission, led by Richard McLaren, released second part of its report on doping abuse in Russia, after which the national skeleton teams of Latvia and South Korea refused to take part in the 2017 event in Sochi. The US team also considered the possibility of a boycott.

The championships in Konigssee will be held in the same period, from February 13 to 26, 2017.

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