“In total, 265 selected doping samples from the Olympic Games in London in 2012 were reanalysed, all based on intelligence-gathering that began in August 2015”, the IOC said Friday.
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Thirty-one athletes who participated in the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games have recently tested positive for banned substances – fourteen among them were Russians.
Lord Coe, the architect of London 2012 who is now president of the International Association of Athletics Federations and chairman of the BOA, said: “The London 2012 Games were an fantastic event with 10,500 athletes competing across 26 sports”.
In WADA’s statement on the ordeal, the organization reiterates that the World Anti-Doping Code makes it possible to open a disciplinary proceeding within 10 years from the date an Anti-Doping Rule Violation occurred.
Since then, one more sample from Beijing has shown abnormal parameters, which the IOC and the respective worldwide federation will follow up. “We want to keep the dopers away from the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro”.
Russia has confirmed that 14 of the positive tests from the Beijing Games involve Russian athletes, some of whom are medalists. This is why we are acting swiftly now.
The Olympic body targeted athletes who were due to compete in Rio, using more advanced testing techniques than were available in 2008.
In the upcoming days, the retest results will be announced and the athletes’ names disclosed.
The new findings cover five different sports and six global federations, and were all based on intelligence-gathering that began in August 2015.
They included London 2012 high-jump champion Anna Chicherova, who won bronze in Beijing, and medallists from javelin and the 4×400 metres.
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“If today’s reanalysis means fewer cheats compete at the Rio 2016 Games then we are clearly moving in the right direction in our mission to protect and promote clean athletes and clean sport”. “I have already appointed a disciplinary commission, which has the full power to act on it on behalf of the International Olympic Committee”, he declared.
