Eliseev was speaking at the ESF Congress, held on the sidelines of the 2018 European Sambo Championships here.

It was at last year’s equivalent event that the Russian, who also serves as an International Sambo Federation vice-president and President of the Russian Sambo Federation, claimed it is "useless" for the sport's athletes to dope.

"It is worth mentioning that no matter what drugs one takes, they can hardly give you any advantage on the mat," Eliseev said in May 2017.

"Doping in sambo is useless; on the contrary, it can be very harmful.

"An athlete who prepares for competitions without using illegal substances is more confident on the mat during the fight.

"That's why he/she wins."

The names of the five athletes have not been revealed. 

In his progress report, Eliseev also drew special attention to the pressing need for national federation heads to purchase sports insurance for all sambists competing in events.

He cited an incident involving an Armenian who collapsed on the sidelines of the 2017 European Sambo Championships, resulting in the athlete going into a coma.

"These are not personal interests, but the lives of our athletes that are at stake," Eliseev said.

The Congress was attended by 11 members of the ESF Executive Committee and 29 national federation members.

It considered issues regarding the report of the ESF Executive Committee for the year 2017.

There was also a discussion over the ESF schedule for international competitions from 2018 to 2021, as well as changes in ESF membership.

At the start of the meeting, Congress participants observed a moment of silence to commemorate the late ex-president of the Sambo Federation of Armenia, Levon Hayrapetyan, and international referee Alexei Rybakov who died suddenly last month at the age of 67 during the European Youth and Junior Sambo Championships in Prague.

At the conclusion of the Congress, a discussion was held regarding the admission of the Sambo Federation of Iceland as a candidate ESF member.

The participants voted unanimously in favour of the decision.

The ESF comprises 36 national federations, with three other countries - Austria, Norway and Sweden - having the status of candidate members.

Twenty countries have already received the recognition of their respective National Olympic Committees, the last of which was Serbia.

The 2018 European Sambo Championships bring together the continent's leading athletes to battle it out for honours across 27 different categories.

The three-day event begun here today.

Last year’s European Sambo Championships were held in Belarus’ capital Minsk, where Russia claimed 18 of the 27 gold medals on offer.