IOC to re-test hundreds of doping samples from 2008 Olympics
The International Olympic Committee plans to re-test hundreds of doping samples from the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, according to the Associated Press.
“We want to protect the clean athletes who are going to be competing in Rio," IOC medical director Dr. Richard Budgett told the AP. “We are making sure that athletes who cheated back in 2008 don’t get to compete in Rio in 2016.”
The IOC can re-test blood and urine samples from each Olympics for 10 years after their conclusion. Samples from the Summer Games in Beijing are valid until 2018.
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Tests from the 2008 Olympics have previously yielded positive results upon further examination. A few months after the Olympics in Beijing, the IOC re-analyzed nearly 1,000 of 4,000 samples. Five athletes, including 1,500-meter gold medalist Rashid Ramzi of Bahrain, tested positive. Kenya's Asbel Kiprop was upgraded to the gold medal with New Zealand's Nick Willis receiving silver and Mehdi Baala of France taking bronze. Kiprop and Willis are still competing in the sport.
The IOC hopes to remove potential cheats from competing at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, which are set to begin on Aug. 5.
Budgett also says the IOC plans to carry out a “similar number” of tests in Rio as the 5,000 conducted in London for the 2012 Olympics.
- Christopher Chavez
