Photo: Jamaica’s 4x100m gold medal team at the Beijing Olympics (Getty Images)
The international media sphere is being buzzing since Wednesday morning with the news that arguably the world’s greatest track-and-field star, Usain Bolt is set to lose one of his 2008 Beijing gold medals.
This is on the back of an International Olympic Committee (IOC) release, confirming that the Jamaican 4×100 relay team is being stripped of their 2008 victory after squad member Nesta Carter tested positive for a banned substance.
An expert from the IOC release;
The IOC Disciplinary Commission, composed for this case of Mr Denis Oswald (Chairman), Mrs Gunilla Lindberg and Dr Ugur Erdener, decided the following:
I. The Athlete, Nesta CARTER:
i. is found to have committed an anti-doping rule violation pursuant to the IOC Anti-Doping Rules applicable to the Games of the XXIX Olympiad in Beijing in 2008,
ii. is disqualified from the men’s 4x100m relay event in which he participated upon the occasion of the Olympic Games Beijing 2008,
iii. has the medal, the medallist pin and the diploma obtained in the men’s 4x100m relay event withdrawn and is ordered to return same.
II. The Jamaican team is disqualified from the men’s 4x100m relay event. The corresponding medals, medallist pins and diplomas are withdrawn and shall be returned.
III. The IAAF is requested to modify the results of the above-mentioned event accordingly and to consider any further action within its own competence.
IV. The Jamaica Olympic Association shall ensure full implementation of this decision.
V. The Jamaica Olympic Association shall notably secure the return to the IOC, as soon as possible, of the medals, the medallist pins and the diplomas awarded in connection with the men’s 4x100m relay event to the Athlete and his teammates.
VI. This decision enters into force immediately.
The entirety of the release can be found on the IOC Website.
“Once the IOC’s case and any appeal is concluded for the disqualification of Nesta Carter from the men’s 4x100m event at the Olympic Games Beijing 2008 for an anti-doping rule violation, the IAAF will take it to the Jamaican federation to determine Carter’s sanction beyond this disqualification” a statement from the International Association of Athletics Federations, on Wednesday night.
The 31 year old Carter who led off the Jamaican quartet in Beijing, based on reanalysis of his samples was found to contain the banned stimulant methylhexaneamine. He was one of 454 selected doping samples retrospectively tested by the last year.
The substance Methylhexaneamine, an energy-boosting ingredient used in many dietary supplements, has been on the World Anti-Doping Agency’s prohibited stimulant list since 2004, although it was reclassified as a specified substance in 2011.
Carter, the sixth fastest 100m runner of all time, along with Asafa Powell, Michael Frater and Bolt produced a then world-record 37.10 sec at the Beijing Games are likely to be without that gold medal pending an appeal from the Carter camp. Dwight Thomas was the fifth member of the team, having taken apart in the semi-final round.
At the close of the last summer’s Rio Olympics Bolt to claim of the title of ‘triple-triple’ Olympic champion (2008, 2012 and 2016), but if the ruling stands he will lose such a status.
Beijing 4x100m silver medallists Trinidad and Tobago are likely to be upgraded to gold, with Japan boosted to silver and Brazil bronze.
In other news of Beijing disqualification is Russia’s Tatyana Lebedeva has also been stripped of her Beijing long jump and triple jump silver medals after dehydrochlormethyltestosterone was found in one of her samples.
You must be logged in to post a comment Login