23 Athletes Fail London 2012 Doping Retests

(ATR) The IOC says 23 athletes from six countries and five sports have tested positive for banned drugs following retesting of London 2012 samples.

Reanalysis of 265 selected doping samples from the 2012 Games was based on intelligence-gathering that began last August. The retests targeted those athletes seeking to compete at the Rio Olympics.

The IOC said "the reanalysis programme is ongoing, with the possibility of more results in the coming weeks".

In a statement Friday, the IOC said the athletes, NOCs and federations concerned had been informed, "after which the proceedings against the athletes can begin".

No athletes or their countries have so far been named.

"All athletes found to have infringed the anti-doping rules will be banned from competing at the Olympic Games Rio 2016," the IOC said.

The news comes in the wake of the IOC’s announcement last week that 31 athletes had tested positive after reanalysis of 454 samples from the Beijing 2008 Games. A total of 14 Russian athletes were in that group.

The IOC confirmed today that one more athlete had failed retesting of a Beijing 2008 sample.

"These reanalyses show, once again, our determination in the fight against doping," said IOC president Thomas Bach.

"We want to keep the dopers away from the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. This is why we are acting swiftly now. I have already appointed a disciplinary commission, which has the full power to take all the decisions on behalf of the IOC."

Reanalysis of samples from Beijing 2008 and London 2012 was conducted using the "very latest scientific analysis methods".

Reported by Mark Bisson

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