IOC confirms 45 new samples containing banned substances

The International Olympic Committee has found banned substances in 45 samples of participants in the London and Beijing Olympics studied retrospectively.

Published : Jul 22, 2016 16:36 IST

1,243 samples from Beijing 2008 and London 2012 have been reanalysed.
1,243 samples from Beijing 2008 and London 2012 have been reanalysed.
lightbox-info

1,243 samples from Beijing 2008 and London 2012 have been reanalysed.

The International Olympic Committee has found banned substances in 45 samples of participants in the London and Beijing Olympics studied retrospectively. With this second wave of assessment, the findings of which were communicated via a release, the Olympic governing body now has 98 samples containing illegal substances.

“The new reanalysis once again shows the commitment of the IOC in the fight against doping,” IOC President Thomas Bach said.

1,243 samples from Beijing 2008 and London 2012 were reanalysed. The third and fourth wave of assessments "are expected to continue throughout and after the Olympic Games Rio 2016."

The IOC said there were 30 "Provisional Adverse Analytical Findings" from competitors in Beijing 2008 and 15 "Adverse Analytical Findings" among London 2012 Olympians. Within the Beijing group, 23 were medallists. The 30 positive results came from eight countries and four sports.

The second wave of retests from London included 138 samples. The 15 positive tests were from nine countries and two sports. The IOC said it was not able to identify the athletes concerned, citing legal reasons.

"The new reanalysis once again shows the commitment of the IOC in the fight against doping," Olympics president Thomas Bach said in a statement. The IOC has said the retesting programme followed "intelligence-gathering" that began last year.

The new results may pile more pressure on the IOC as it faces making the unprecedented move of banning an entire country from a Games over doping.

Two reports from the World Anti Doping Agency have detailed rampant, state-run drug cheating by Russia, affecting 30 sports.

Russia's track and field team has already been banned from Rio by governing body IAAF. But a dozen global anti-doping agencies and several national Olympic committees have urged the IOC to take exemplary action and rule all Russian competitors ineligible for the Rio Games, which start in two weeks.

The IOC said a decision could be made on Sunday.

(With inputs from agencies)

Sign in to unlock all user benefits
  • Get notified on top games and events
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign up / manage to our newsletters with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early bird access to discounts & offers to our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide to our community guidelines for posting your comment