Russian ice hockey player Ion-Gerogi Kostev has been banned for two years for an anti-doping violation ©Crvena Zvezda

Russian ice hockey player Ion-Gerogi Kostev has been banned from the sport for two years after testing positive for a prohibited substance, the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) have announced.

The 28-year-old defenceman tested positive for banned stimulant 4-methylhexan-2-amin after a playoff game for the Serbian club Crvena Zvezda Belgrade, who compete in the International Hockey League and the Serbian Hockey League.

Kostev claimed the substance must have come from a “pre-workout drink” that he bought at a gym.

In a questionnaire for the IIHF Disciplinary Board, Kostev admitted he had not checked the ingredients of the drink or asked any staff members at the gym about them, before consuming the product.

According to the IIHF, it later emerged the drink had contained DMAA (1,3 dimethylamylamine) which is a synonym for the prohibited substance methylhexaneamine.

A provisional suspension against Kostev was brought in on May 18, which will now due to last until May 17 in 2020.

The IIHF claimed Kostev should have made more effort to ensure he did not ingest a banned substance.

Nesta Carter, second left, was disqualified by the IOC after a retest showed a positive test for banned stimulant 4-methylhexan-2-amin, leading to Jamaica being stripped of the Olympic 4x100m gold medal from Beijing 2008 ©Getty Images
Nesta Carter, second left, was disqualified by the IOC after a retest showed a positive test for banned stimulant 4-methylhexan-2-amin, leading to Jamaica being stripped of the Olympic 4x100m gold medal from Beijing 2008 ©Getty Images

"The player should have established that he took clear and obvious precautions which any person would take," they said.

"His statements show that he obviously bought and consumed an unknown product without hesitation and without any precautions."

During the ban, Kostev will be unable to play in all competitions either authorised or organised by the IIHF.

During the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, three athletes tested positive for the drug.

They were Italy's bobsleigh brakeman and former decathlete William Frullani, German biathlete Evi Sachenbacher-Stehle and Latvian ice hockey forward Vitalijs Pavlovs.

In 2017, the International Olympic Committee disqualified Jamaica's 2008 gold-winning 4x100 men's relay in Beijing due to Nesta Carter's positive testing for methylhexanamine. 

Among those who were stripped of their medals was Usain Bolt.