Olympic skeleton champion Lizzy Yarnold has revealed she may miss next year’s World Championships, in Sochi, due to the on-going issues regarding state-sponsored doping in Russia.

After a season-long break from the sport, Yarnold is set to return to the competitive circuit next month after today being named among the Great Britain squad for the 2016/2017 season.

The season all builds toward next year’s World Championships in Sochi, from February 13-26, but 2015 World Champion Yarnold admitted to reservations surrounding the event being hosted in Russia, and also the stance currently being taken by her sport’s governing body, the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation (IBSF).

Earlier this year, a Wada-commissioned report by lawyer Richard McLaren revealed details of state-sponsored doping in Russia with the second part of the report into his investigations scheduled to be released in December.

Prior to that report coming out, the International Olympic Committee announced that preparations for the staging of future international winter sports events in Russia should be postponed, subject to the outcome of the McLaren investigation.

But while the 2017 World Championships were awarded to Sochi in June 2013 – before that announcement – Yarnold admitted a review should still be taken on the country hosting the event.

“I really feel strongly about sufficient anti-doping regulations in sport and I’m really surprised that the IBSF haven’t taken a stronger stance,” she said.

“The IOC and WADA (the world anti-doping agency) have recommended the Championships are moved from Russia so I hope that the IBSF have some serious discussions over the next few months.

“As an athlete you want to be confident in your competition and secure competition and the best athletes are winning. The saddest thing is clean athletes have been missing out on medals and titles and that really upsets me.

“We need to find out more, but if nothing changes ahead of the Sochi World Championships then I wouldn’t rule out not competing.

“We’ll have to see what part two of the McLaren report says but part one was pretty damning enough. What I want to happen is things being done in light of the second report.

“The IBSF haven’t done anything so far, I assume they’re waiting for the second McLaren report.

“All I can do is hope they will have serious discussions with all the nations and make the right decision with the right information.”

Yarnold, who is among 18 candidates currently standing in the elections for the British Olympic Association’s Athletes’ Commission, also added concerns over whether all her rivals in the coming season were clean.

“I don’t think we can be completely certain,” she said. “There are certain nations which are not WADA-compliant, so it is a fear.

“I hope that there is a lot more money and time going into it to tackle it. All that I can take faith from is that UK Anti-Doping is one of the best in the world.

“As athletes, we’re probably one of the most tested on the circuit and I hope that we can lead by example and stand by our principles and try and pull others along.

“Any athlete wants a clean and fair competition. If any athlete has been found to be doping then they should be sanctioned in the appropriate way. That’s the Olympic ideals – to be a sportsman and have true, respectful values.”