IOC Sanctions Six Athletes for Failing Doping Tests in 2008 Games

Six atheletes from Russia, Moldavia, Armenia and Azerbaijan were sanctioned for failing anti-doping tests in the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, according to the statement of the International Olympic Committee.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) – The International Olympic Committee sanctioned six athletes on Wednesday for failing anti-doping tests in the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.

According to the committee’s statement, the athletes include Moldovan weightlifter Alexandru Dudoglo, Russian weightlifters Nadezhda Evstyukhina and Marina Shainova, Russian athlete Tatyana Firova, Armenian weightlifter Tigran Martirosyan and Azerbaijani weightlifter Intigam Zairov.

Evstyukhina won Bronze medal in the Beijing Games, while Shainova and Firova won Silver. However, Firova’s medal was taken away earlier this year after the Russian team was disqualified over doping found in another track and field athlete Yuliya Chermoshanskaya’s samples.

Martirosyan won bronze in the 69-kg men’s weightlifting competition in Beijing.

Dudoglo and Zairov both finished ninth in 2008 Olympic weightlifting contests, hence not gaining any medals for their teams.

In July, the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) banned Russia from taking part in the Rio Olympics. IWF President Tamas Ajan said that the Russian, Belarusian and Kazakh weightlifting federations would be banned for a year following the end of the August 5-21 Summer Games.