Russia's Olympic Chief Resigns After Vancouver Flop

Leonid Tyagachev has stepped down

The head of Russia's Olympic Committee, Leonid Tyagachev, has resigned following the poor showing of the Russian team at the Vancouver Winter Games.

Russian news agencies quoted the spokesman for the Russian Olympic Committee, Gennady Shvets, as saying that Tyagachev has "signed his resignation declaration."

President Dmitry Medvedev on March 1 had called for officials in charge of preparing Russian athletes for the Winter Olympics to resign after the country suffered its worst-ever performance in Vancouver.

The Russian squad finished 11th in the Games' medal table, clinching only three gold medals and 15 overall.

compiled from agency reports