Medvedev continues cull as two more Russian sports officials go

RUSSIAN President Dmitry Medvedev has banned two more sports officials from Sochi 2014 as heads continue to role after a poor showing at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.

IRON FIST: Dmitry Medvedev continues to wield the axe as two more sports officials are banned from Sochi 2014 preparations (Getty Images)

Figure skating federation chief Valentin Piseyev and cross-country skiing supremo Vladimir Loginov have both been shown the door after Russia could only muster 15 medals in Vancouver and just three golds.

At Turin 2006, Russia collected four figure skating medals including three golds but four years later Evgeni Plushenko's silver medal and a bronze from ice dancers Oksana Domnina and Maxim Shabalin was the best they could muster.

It was a similar story in cross-country skiing with the four medals [one gold] from Vancouver notably down on seven medals and two golds won by the class of 2006 in Turin.

Having been banned from Sochi 2014 preparations, Loginov announced his resignation earlier this week as cross-country boss. Piseyev said he will not seek another term atop the figure skating federation after his athletes failed to get an Olympic gold in the sport for the first time since 1964.

Russian Olympic Committee president Leonid Tyagachev and deputy sports minister Gennady Alyoshin have also left since Vancouver 2010.