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 IOCs strategic roadmap for the future of the Olympic Movement. The IOC has been conducting additional analyses on the samples collected from the Olympic Games London 2012. This programme, which uses the latest scientific analysis methods, aims to test samples for all the substances prohibited in 2012.
The IOC has delegated the selection of samples to be reanalysed and the results management to the International Testing Agency (ITA), and the ITA thus brings forward these cases.
The notification sent by the ITA to the athletes concerned when initiating proceedings gives them the choice to have their case heard before the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) or an IOC Disciplinary Commission. This choice is given as the Anti-Doping Rules (ADR) for the Olympic Games London 2012 still apply for cases that arise from the current reanalyses. In the cases at hand, the athletes did not choose to go to the CAS, so the cases were automatically handled by the IOC Disciplinary Commission.
As part of this process, the IOC today announced that three athletes have been disqualified from the Olympic Games London 2012. The details follow.
Razvan Martin, 28, of Romania, competing in the mens 69kg weightlifting event at the Olympic Games London 2012, in which he ranked 3rd, has been sanctioned. Reanalysis of Martins samples from London 2012 resulted in a positive test for the prohibited substances Dehydrochlormethyltestosterone, Metenolone and Stanozolol.
The IOC Disciplinary Commission, composed for this case of Messrs Denis Oswald (Chairman), Juan Antonio Samaranch and Ingmar De Vos, decided the following:
I. The Athlete, Razvan Martin:
i. 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 athletes bodily specimen);
ii. is disqualified from the event in which he participated upon the occasion of the Olympic Games London 2012, namely the mens 69kg weightlifting event, in which he ranked 3rd and for which he was awarded the bronze medal;
iii. has the bronze medal, diploma and pin obtained in the mens 69kg weightlifting event withdrawn and is ordered to return the same.
II. The IWF is requested to modify the results of the above-mentioned event accordingly and to consider any further action within its own competence.
III. The Romanian Olympic Committee shall ensure full implementation of this decision.
IV. The Romanian Olympic Committee shall notably secure the return to the IOC, as soon as possible, of the bronze medal, diploma and pin awarded in connection with the mens 69kg Weightlifting event to the athlete.
V. The decision enters into force immediately.
The full decision is available here.
Roxana Cocos, 31, of Romania, competing in the womens 69kg weightlifting event at the Olympic Games London 2012, in which she ranked 2nd, has been sanctioned. Reanalysis of Cocos samples from London 2012 resulted in a positive test for the prohibited substances Metenolone and Stanozolol.
The IOC Disciplinary Commission, composed for this case of Messrs Denis Oswald (Chairman), Juan Antonio Samaranch and Ingmar De Vos, decided the following:
I. The Athlete, Roxana Cocos:
i. 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 athletes bodily specimen);
ii. is disqualified from the event in which she participated upon the occasion of the Olympic Games London 2012, namely the womens 69kg weightlifting event, in which she ranked 2nd and for which she was awarded the silver medal;
iii. has the silver medal, diploma and pin obtained in the womens 69kg weightlifting event withdrawn and is ordered to return the same.
II. The IWF is requested to modify the results of the above-mentioned event accordingly and to consider any further action within its own competence.
III. The Romanian Olympic Committee shall ensure full implementation of this decision.
IV. The Romanian Olympic Committee shall notably secure the return to the IOC, as soon as possible, of the silver medal, diploma and pin awarded in connection with the womens 69kg weightlifting event to the athlete.
V. The decision enters into force immediately.
The full decision is available here.
Gabriel Sincraian, 31, of Romania, competing in the mens 85kg weightlifting event at the Olympic Games London 2012, in which he did not finish, has been sanctioned. Reanalysis of Sincraians samples from London 2012 resulted in a positive test for the prohibited substances Metenolone and Stanozolol.
The IOC Disciplinary Commission, composed for this case of Messrs Denis Oswald (Chairman), Juan Antonio Samaranch and Ingmar De Vos, decided the following:
I. The Athlete, Gabriel Sincraian:
i. 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 athletes bodily specimen);
ii. is disqualified from the event in which he participated upon the occasion of the Olympic Games London 2012, namely the mens 85kg weightlifting event, in which his result was that he did not finish the event.
II. The IWF is requested to modify the results of the above-mentioned event accordingly and to consider any further action within its own competence.
III. The Romanian Olympic Committee shall ensure full implementation of this decision.
IV. The decision enters into force immediately.
The full decision is available here.
This is part of the IOCs efforts to protect clean athletes and the integrity of the competition. The IOC has been storing samples from the Olympic Games since Athens 2004, and has reanalysed them systematically. The fight against doping is a top priority for the IOC, which has established a zero-tolerance policy to combat cheating and to make anyone responsible for using or providing doping products accountable.
You can find at the following links the full list of anti-doping rule violations at the Olympic Games, established during or after each edition, and the detailed results of the IOC reanalysis programme from 2004 to today.
