Olympics: IOC Bans Four After Retests Of Beijing-London Dope Samples

RIO DE JANEIRO, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 10th Augst,2016) - The International Olympic Committee on Tuesday stripped Ukrainian javelin thrower Oleksandr Pyatnytsya of his silver medal from the 2012 Olympics as it announced the first sanctions after retests on doping samples from the London and Beijing Games. The sanctions against four athletes were the first announced after 98 competitors were found to have failed doping tests at London and Beijing in 2008 using new analysis techniques.

Women weightlifters from Turkey and Armenia and Belarus hammer thrower were disqualified from the Rio Games following the new tests. The IOC ordered new tests on hundreds of samples from London and Beijing after investigations by the World Anti-Doping Agency found Russian sport was involved in mass "state-sponsored" doping.

Pyatnytsya's silver medal throw at the London Games was only seven centimetres short of winner Keshorn Walcott.

He was found to have taken the steroid turinabol. The Ukrainian did not dispute the finding nor turn up for any of the disciplinary hearings, according to the IOC. Nurcan Taylor, who competed in the 48kg weightlifting in Beijing, was found to have taken the steroid stanozolol. Hripsime Lhursjudyan of Armenia came 11th in the 75kg category in Beijing.

She also took stanozolol, according to an IOC statement. Belarus hammer thrower Pavel Kryvitksi was accused of taking anabolic steroids stanozolol and turinabol. He came 28th in the London Olympics but was fourth at the European Championships in 2014.