Russia’s Olympic head found dead in his hotel room

MOSCOW (Reuters) – Valery Kuzin, first vice-president of
the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC), was found dead in his
hotel room in St Petersburg on Thursday. He was 42.

ROC spokesman Gennady Shvets said Kuzin had been suffering
from heart trouble recently but did not rule out the
possibility of foul play.

“We know that police are also investigating a possible
murder plot against Mr Kuzin,” Shvets said.

Kuzin also served as vice-president of basketball’s world
governing body FIBA for Europe and headed the association of
summer sports federations within the ROC.

He had to spend more than a month in a Turin hospital after
a brutal assault at the Winter Olympics in February before
returning to Moscow.

Kuzin, who was also a member of Russia’s parliament, was in
St Petersburg for the festivities to commemorate the 100th
anniversary of the assembly.