IOC sanctions four Russian athletes for failing anti-doping tests at London 2012 following a targeted wave of re-analyses

The protection of clean athletes and the fight against doping are top priorities for the International Olympic Committee (IOC), as outlined in Olympic Agenda 2020, the IOC’s strategic roadmap for the future of the Olympic Movement.

In order to support the investigations of Prof. McLaren and his team, the IOC ordered a number of targeted re-analyses of Russian athletes’ samples during the course of 2016.

As part of this process, the IOC today announced that four Russian athletes have been disqualified from the Olympic Games London 2012. The details follow.

Khadzhimurat AKKAEV, 31, of Russia, competing in the Men’s 105kg weightlifting event in which he was registered upon and from which he had to withdraw because of a back injury, has been disqualified from the Olympic Games London 2012. Re-analysis of Akkaev’s samples from London 2012 resulted in a positive test for the prohibited substance dehydrochloromethyltestosterone (turinabol). 

The IOC Disciplinary Commission, composed for this case of Mr Denis Oswald (Chairman), Mrs Gunilla Lindberg and Dr Ugur Erdener, decided the following:

1. The Athlete, Khadzhimurat AKKAEV:
   1. is found to have committed an anti-doping rule violation pursuant to the IOC Anti-Doping Rules applicable to the Games of the XXX Olympiad in London in 2012 (presence, and/or use, of Prohibited Substances or its Metabolites or Markers in an athlete’s bodily specimen),
   2. is disqualified from the Men’s 105kg weightlifting event in which he was registered upon the occasion of the Olympic Games London 2012.
2. The IWF is requested to modify the results of the above-mentioned event accordingly and to consider any further action within its own competence.
3. This decision enters into force immediately.
4. The full decision is available here.

Mariia BESPALOVA, 30, of Russia, competing in the Women’s hammer throw event (Qualification and Final) in which she ranked 11th, has been disqualified from the Olympic Games London 2012. Re-analysis of Bespalova’s samples from London 2012 resulted in a positive test for the prohibited substance dehydrochloromethyltestosterone (turinabol). 

The IOC Disciplinary Commission, composed for this case of Mr Denis Oswald (Chairman), Mrs Gunilla Lindberg and Dr Ugur Erdener, decided the following:

1. The Athlete, Mariia BESPALOVA:
   1. is found to have committed an anti-doping rule violation pursuant to the IOC Anti-Doping Rules applicable to the Games of the XXX Olympiad in London in 2012 (presence, and/or use, of Prohibited Substances or its Metabolites or Markers in an athlete’s bodily specimen),
   2. is disqualified from the event in which she participated upon the occasion of the Olympic Games London 2012, namely the Women’s hammer throw event.
2. The IAAF is requested to modify the results of the above-mentioned event accordingly and to consider any further action within its own competence.
3. This decision enters into force immediately.
4. The full decision is available here.

Gulfiya KHANAFEEVA, 34, of Russia, competing in the Women’s hammer throw event (Qualification) in which she ranked 16th, has been disqualified from the Olympic Games London 2012. Re-analysis of Khanafeeva’s samples from London 2012 resulted in a positive test for the prohibited substance dehydrochloromethyltestosterone (turinabol).

The IOC Disciplinary Commission, composed for this case of Mr Denis Oswald (Chairman), Mrs Gunilla Lindberg and Dr Ugur Erdener, decided the following:

1. The Athlete, Gulfiya KHANAFEEVA:
   1. is found to have committed an anti-doping rule violation pursuant to the IOC Anti-Doping Rules applicable to the Games of the XXX Olympiad in London in 2012 (presence, and/or use, of Prohibited Substances or its Metabolites or Markers in an athlete’s bodily specimen),
   2. is disqualified from the Women’s hammer throw event in which she participated upon the occasion of the Olympic Games London 2012.
2. The IAAF is requested to modify the results of the above-mentioned event accordingly and to consider any further action within its own competence.
3. This decision enters into force immediately.
4. The full decision is available here.

Victoria VALYUKEVICH (maiden name: Victoria GUROVA), 34, of Russia, competing in the Women’s triple jump event (Qualification and Final) in which she ranked 8th, and for which she was awarded a diploma, has been disqualified from the Olympic Games London 2012. Re-analysis of Valyukevich’s samples from London 2012 resulted in a positive test for the prohibited substance dehydrochloromethyltestosterone (turinabol).

The IOC Disciplinary Commission, composed for this case of Mr Denis Oswald (Chairman), Mrs Gunilla Lindberg and Dr Ugur Erdener, decided the following:

1. The Athlete, Victoria VALYUKEVICH:
   1. is found to have committed an anti-doping rule violation pursuant to the IOC Anti-Doping Rules applicable to the Games of the XXX Olympiad in London in 2012 (presence, and/or use, of Prohibited Substances or its Metabolites or Markers in an athlete’s bodily specimen),
   2. is disqualified from the Women’s triple jump event in which she participated upon the occasion of the Olympic Games London 2012,
   3. has the diploma obtained in the Women’s triple jump event withdrawn, and is ordered to return the same.
2. The IAAF is requested to modify the results of the above-mentioned event accordingly and to consider any further action within its own competence.
3. The Russian Olympic Committee shall ensure full implementation of this decision.
4. The Russian Olympic Committee shall notably secure the return to the IOC, as soon as possible, of the diploma awarded in connection with the Women’s triple jump event to the Athlete.
5. This decision enters into force immediately.
6. The full decision is available here.

In December 2016, the IOC also extended the mandate of the Oswald Commission to examine all samples collected from Russian athletes during the Olympic Games London 2012, following the findings of the completed Independent Person Report.

Thirty Russian athletes had already been sanctioned thus far by the IOC as a result of the IOC’s re-analysis programme, which began prior to the Olympic Games Rio 2016 and is ongoing. This programme was intended to provide a level playing field for all clean athletes at the Olympic Games Rio 2016, and consisted of targeted pre-tests and re-analysis of stored samples from the Olympic Games Beijing 2008 and London 2012, following an intelligence-gathering process that started in August 2015.

The additional analyses on samples collected during the Olympic Games Beijing 2008 and London 2012 were performed with improved analytical methods, in order to possibly detect prohibited substances that could not be identified by the analysis performed at the time of these editions of the Olympic Games.

For further details, please consult the following factsheet.

The International Olympic Committee is a not-for-profit independent international organisation made up of volunteers, which is committed to building a better world through sport. It redistributes more than 90 per cent of its income to the wider sporting movement, which means that every day the equivalent of USD 3.25 million goes to help athletes and sports organisations at all levels around the world.

For more information, please contact the IOC Media Relations Team: 
Tel: +41 21 621 6000 email: pressoffice@olympic.org, or visit our website at www.olympic.org.

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