A Russian hockey player who has been playing in France was just found guilty of having illegal substances in his blood and will have to sit out for two years. A Russian hockey player, Maxim <a href='https://www.yardbarker.com/general_sports/articles/hockey_player_receives_two_year_ban_after_testing_positive_for_illegal_substance/s1_17448_41226090' class='lien_marqueur' target='_blank' rel='noopener'>Makarov, has been slapped with an almost two-year suspension</a> following a positive test result for morphine, which is among the prohibited substances. In accordance with the note to Article 2.10 of the World Anti-Doping Code, athletes and other persons must not work with coaches, instructors, physicians or other athlete support personnel who are serving a period of ineligibility for an anti-doping rule violation, or who have been found guilty in a criminal case or during a disciplinary investigation related to doping. Violation of this requirement may result in ineligibility for up to 2 years. - Russian Anti-Doping Authority The ban imposed by the IIHF initially presented by the Russian Anti-Doping Agency, according to Ria Novatsi, was a suspension of 20 months. The suspension of Makarov started on December 21, 2023, and will end on August 21, 2025. The 30-year-old forward has played the past three seasons in France's FFHG Division 2 league with Marseilles after spending much of his career in Russia's Supreme Hockey League, the country's second-highest league following the KHL. <div align='center' class='pl20 pr20'><blockquote class='twitter-tweet' data-lang='en'><a href='https://twitter.com/SpartsMarseille/status/1656233919342100480'><div style='border:1px solid #CCCCCC;border-radius:10px;padding:20px;width:300px;'>Loading from Twitter ...</div></a></blockquote></div> The incident contributes to the continuous scrutiny of Russian athletes after a four-year ban was imposed in 2020, prohibiting Russia from competing in the Olympics and other global sports events over widespread doping violations.