23 from London Oly positive in retests

London, May 27 

Twenty-three athletes from five sports tested positive for banned drugs in re-checks of 265 samples from the 2012 London Olympics, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) said on Friday.

The results, part of the IOC’s re-testing of samples from past Games to keep cheats from competing at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics in August, involved athletes from six different national teams four years ago.

The IOC, which stores samples for a decade in order to re-test using newer methods or to look for new drugs, will not name the athletes or the sports until the second sample or B tests has been analysed. That process can take several weeks. Last week the organisation found 31 athletes from six sports who could be banned from Rio for failing doping tests when 454 samples were re-examined from the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

The IOC, which said one more sample from Beijing had shown “abnormal parameters” and would also be followed up on, added that the re-testing programme was still in progress and could deliver more positive checks in the coming weeks. “These re-analyses show, once again, our determination in the fight against doping,” IOC president Thomas Bach said. “We want to keep the dopers away from the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. “I have already appointed a disciplinary commission which has the full power to take all the decisions on behalf of the IOC.” The targeted re-testing focused mainly on athletes who could potentially compete in Rio and the IOC said anyone found doping would be banned from those Games.

‘Sharapova to be replaced if ineligible’ 

Moscow: Maria Sharapova, currently suspended over doping abuse accusations, has been included in the country’s national Olympic roster for the 2016 Games in Rio but will be replaced in case she is still ineligible to play, the president of the Russian Tennis Federation has said. “We will include her in the roster,” Shamil Tarpishchev, who is also a member of the IOC, said. “If she will be unable to participate we will replace her with the following player in the ranking list.” — Agencies