73 athletes from the London Olympics have failed anti-doping tests
2012: Tower Bridge in London on the opening day of the UK Olympic Games. Photo: Daniel Hambury/Pa Photos
The International Testing Agency (ITA) re-analyzed 2,727 doping samples from the 2012 London Olympics. The work resulted in 73 new positive tests.
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Using new analysis tools, the testing agency has uncovered several athletes who broke rules for the use of illegal substances during the 2012 London Olympics.
73 of the 2,727 samples that passed inspection ten years ago were found to contain traces of banned substances. The results have returned 31 medal winners in four disciplines, the ITA said in a press release.
– The result clearly shows that in the fight against doping, all means at our disposal must be used to protect justice and athletes, says ITA Director Benjamin Cohen.
– Sometimes time is a tool that makes it possible to apply new science and new methods to tests that were carried out several years ago, he continues.
None of the 73 athletes are identified by name, but they are divided into the following countries and sports:
ITA has mainly focused on re-analyzing samples in branches typically characterized by doping. Weightlifters will carry 36 of the 73 tests, while athletics will have 28 positive tests.
Anabolic steroids in particular should be detected more easily with new analysis tools.
Those who cheat should never feel safe, not now, not tomorrow, not in ten years, says Cohen.
