The doping issues may be a distraction for athletes in all events here.

"It was a paperwork issue more so than, I believe, a doping issue," Webb said.

The third option was to define the doping issue out of existence.

Reverberations from the doping issue have reached the upper levels of the German Government.

The team and the athlete claimed there were no doping issues, however, since Riccò claims to have a naturally high haematocrit level.

Results of the Olympic committee's urine tests should clear up the doping issue from there.

"It's no accident that the way people think about the transgender issue in sports overlaps a lot with the doping issue," said Dr. Stephan Walk, a professor of sports sociology at California State University at Fullerton.

After the Polish team withdrew their athlete Lukasz Klekot because of a doping issue, Berrou had been initially told by UIPM to take the final spot for the men's event.

Meanwhile cycling generally has worked incredibly hard against the doping issue and that approach absolutely underpins everything we do with GB and Team Sky.

As for the doping issue, Grabner said, "I am not going to let that overshadow my accomplishment."