IOC: 45 more positive cases in retests of 2008, ’12 samples

The IOC says previous tests had found 30 positive cases from Beijing and 23 from London after the first wave of tests.

A further 45 athletes have been caught for doping after the retesting of samples from the 2008 and 2012 Olympics. The 30 are from four Olympic sports and across eight countries.

Using “the very latest scientific analysis methods”, the latest round of retests produced 30 “provisional” positive findings from Beijing and 15 confirmed positives from London, the International Olympic Committee reported. These Adverse Analytical Findings (AAFs) involved 138 selected samples from two different sports and nine different countries.

After the first two waves of testing, 1,243 doping samples from the Games have now been reanalysed, resulting in 98 positive tests.

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

The IPC said it had acted after McLaren provided the names of the athletes associated with the 35 “disappearing positive samples” from the Moscow laboratory highlighted in the report.

The athletes, NOCs and International Federations concerned by the positive drug tests are being informed, the IOC said, with proceedings against the athletes able to commence after B-samples are tested.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport dismissed the appeal from the 68 athletes on Russia’s track and field team, and the International Olympic Committee is now considering banning all Russian athletes from the Rio Games.

Forty-five more athletes, including 31 medalists, have been caught for doping after retesting of samples from the last two Summer Olympics, the IOC said Friday.

“It’s time to disband the IAAF”, Russia’s Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko said on Twitter Thursday, adding, ‘”Corrupt judges!”

The IOC said a decision could be made as soon as Sunday.

“Thank you everyone for the funeral of athletics”, she said.

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.

Russia, with places for 267 athletes across 18 sports, has the third largest delegation for the Rio Paralympics, behind China and Brazil.