IOC withdraws gold medal from shot put athlete Nadzeya Ostapchuk

13/08/2012


The International Olympic Committee (IOC) today announced that it has disqualified, withdrawn the medal from, and excluded Belarus’s Nadzeya Ostapchuk (athletics, women’s shot put) from the Games of the XXX Olympiad in London.

The athlete was first requested to provide a urine sample for a doping control on 5 August. She competed the next day in the women’s shot put event, where she placed first, and was asked to provide a sample straight after her competition. Both samples indicated the presence of metenolone, which is classified as anabolic agent under the 2012 Prohibited List.

Upon the recommendation of the IOC Disciplinary Commission, composed for this case of Thomas Bach (Chairman), Denis Oswald and Frank Fredericks, the IOC Executive Board decided:

I. The Athlete Ms Nadzeya Ostapchuk, Belarus, Athletics:

(i) is disqualified from the women’s shot put event, where she had placed first;

(ii) is excluded from the Games of the XXX Olympiad in London in 2012;

(iii) shall have her medal, diploma and medallist pin in the above-mentioned event withdrawn;

(iv) shall have her Olympic Identity and Accreditation Card immediately cancelled and withdrawn.

II. The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) is requested to modify the results of the above-mentioned event accordingly and to consider any further action within its own competence.

III. The NOC of Belarus is ordered to return to the IOC, as soon as possible, the medal, diploma and medallist pin awarded to the Athlete in relation to the above-noted event.

IV. The IOC administration is instructed to reallocate the medals, diplomas and medallist pins to the athletes who finished behind Ms Nadzeya Ostapchuk in the above-mentioned event, the first three being:

- Valerie Adams, New Zealand, first
- Evgeniia Kolodko, Russian Federation, second
- Lijiao Gong, People’s Republic of China, third

V. The NOC of Belarus and LOCOG shall ensure full implementation of the Executive Board decision.

VI. This decision shall enter into force immediately.

Read the full decision here.


Under the IOC Anti-Doping Rules applicable to the 2012 London Olympic Games, testing takes place under the IOC's auspices from 16 July (date of the opening of the Olympic Village) to 12 August 2012. Within that period, the IOC systematically performs tests before and after events. After each event, the IOC systematically carries out tests on the top five finishers plus two at random. The IOC also performs out-of-competition unannounced tests. Over the course of the London Games, the IOC is expected to carry out some 5,000 tests - 3,800 urine and 1,200 blood. For more information, please consult the IOC factsheet on anti-doping.
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