Doping : 31 Athletes Face Rio Bans After Doping Re-Tests

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has announced the biggest-ever haul of drug cheats from a single Olympic Games.

Thirty-one athletes who took part in the 2008 Beijing Games have tested positive for doping.

The IOC says it has opened disciplinary proceedings against the unidentified athletes from 12 countries, after a reanalysis of their samples.

According to New york times,  the US Justice Department is launching an investigation into claims of state-sponsored doping by dozens of Russian athletes.

In a statement, the IOC said: "(The tests) were focused on athletes who could potentially start at the Olympic Games Rio 2016 and were conducted using the very latest scientific analysis methods."

The organisation added: "As a result up to 31 athletes from six sports could be banned from competing at the Olympic Games in Rio."

The IOC says it is determined to take tough action to fight drug cheats, adding that those who failed the tests will be informed in "the coming days".

"The fight to protect the clean athletes does not stop there, with 250 more results from retesting of samples from the Olympic Games London 2012 to come shortly," it said.

"The aim is to stop any drugs cheats coming to the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro."

Dick Pound, the former president of the World Anti-Doping Agency(WADA), welcomed the retesting.

"The message is that we care that competition is fair and we will do whatever we can to protect the athletes that compete in accordance with the rules" he said.

Depending on the outcome of disciplinary proceedings, some athletes could be stripped of their medals and others given the awards.

The IOC said it could not provide any further information on which athletes have failed the tests or which countries they come from for legal reasons.

The doping results are the latest scandal to hit international sport, and follow allegations involving athletes at the Sochi Winter Olympics.

A former Russian official, who now lives in the United States, claimed that up to 15 athletes were part of a state-run doping programme.

The IOC said it has asked the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) to carry out a "fully-fledged investigation" into the allegations surrounding the Sochi Games.

It has formally asked the Russian Olympic Committee to fully cooperate with the inquiry.

 sources: the New york times, independent