Ramzi stripped of Olympic gold for doping

November 18th, 2009 Ramzi stripped of Olympic 1,500-meter goldLONDON — The IOC has stripped Bahraini middle-distance runner Rashid Ramzi of his 1,500-meter Olympic gold medal and disqualified four other athletes because of doping in Beijing. The International Olympic Committee took action Wednesday against the five athletes who tested positive in April in retroactive tests for CERA, an advanced version of blood-boosting drug EPO.

November 18th, 2009 Ramzi stripped of Olympic 1,500-meter gold medalLONDON — Bahraini middle-distance runner Rashid Ramzi was stripped of his 1,500-meter Olympic gold medal Wednesday and four other athletes were disqualified because of doping at the Beijing Games. Fifteen months after the games, the International Olympic Committee took action against the five athletes who tested positive in April in retroactive tests for CERA, an advanced version of the blood-boosting drug EPO.

November 17th, 2009 Italian cyclist loses Olympic silver for dopingROME — Cyclist Davide Rebellin of Italy will be stripped of the silver medal in the road race from the 2008 Beijing Olympics because of doping. The Italian Olympic Committee (CONI) said it received instructions from the International Olympic Committee on Tuesday.

November 12th, 2009 more imagesBelarusians must wait for Olympic doping hearingLAUSANNE, Switzerland — Two Belarusian hammer throwers stripped of their Olympic medals for doping must wait until next year to try to win them back at an appeal hearing. The Court of Arbitration for Sport said Thursday that a new delay means Vadim Devyatovskiy and Ivan Tsikhan will plead their case over three days from Jan.

October 22nd, 2009 Vancouver unveils Olympic anti-doping labVANCOUVER — More than 2,000 urine and blood samples will be tested during the Vancouver Olympics as part of a $16.4 million effort to catch drug cheats. A state-of-the-art doping lab for the Feb.

September 18th, 2009 Spain alters doping law ahead of 2016 Olympic voteMADRID — Spain adjusted its anti-doping laws Friday to comply with international regulations and boost Madrid's chances of staging the 2016 Olympics. Spain's legislation will permit drug-testing of athletes between 6 a.m.

September 18th, 2009 Olympic gold medalist Izbasa out of worldsBUCHAREST, Romania — Olympic gold medalist Sandra Izbasa has snapped her Achilles' tendon and will miss the world gymnastics championships. The 19-year-old gymnast also broke a bone in her foot during training Thursday in Buzau.

August 20th, 2009 BERLIN - Caster Semenya of South Africa won the 800 metres world title amid confirmation that a gender test was conducted on her to make sure that she was really a woman. Semenya, 18, ran away from her rivals at the end of the final back straight to win in a world leading 1 minute 55.45 seconds Wednesday.

August 19th, 2009 Beijing medals not at risk in Germany doping probeLAUSANNE, Switzerland — The IOC says equestrian medals from the Beijing Olympics will not be affected by an investigation into alleged doping violations by Germany's team. The International Equestrian Federation (FEI) commissioned a report into claims that some members of the German team — which topped the equestrian medal table at the games — used banned drugs and medical treatments on their horses.

August 14th, 2009 IOC to speed up decision on Marion Jones' medalsBERLIN — The IOC has agreed to speed up the process of determining whether to redistribute the medals stripped from Marion Jones for doping at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. The decision was reached on Friday at a joint meeting of the International Olympic Committee executive board and the council of the International Association of Athletics Federations.

August 3rd, 2009 HAMBURG - The International Olympic Committee (IOC) aims for athletes to name their doctors and physio-therapists at the start of each season in a stronger crackdown against doping. Experts are currently looking into the legal aspects of the plan which is not expected to become reality before the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.

July 27th, 2009 Olympic 1500-meter champ Ramzi faces doping panelLAUSANNE, Switzerland — Olympic 1,500-meter champion Rashid Ramzi faced a disciplinary hearing Monday to explain why he tested positive for the blood-boosting drug CERA after the Beijing Games. The Morocco-born Bahraini was one of five athletes whose cases were heard by the International Olympic Committee panel.

July 8th, 2009 AP source: Backup samples positive for 5 OlympiansLONDON — Backup "B'' sample tests came back positive for 1,500-meter gold medalist Rashid Ramzi and four other athletes accused of blood doping at the Beijing Games, an Olympic official with knowledge of the results told The Associated Press on Wednesday. The athletes tested positive for the blood-boosting drug CERA in retests of their Beijing "A'' samples earlier this year.

July 4th, 2009 HAMBURG - The German Olympic Committee (DSOB) Saturday reacted with caution to a doping ban on the nation's most successful Winter Olympian, speed skater Claudia Pechstein. Pechstein, 37, was banned for two years by the ruling body ISU because she had abnormal blood values and abnormal changes of blood values at several tests, most notably at the allround World Championships in February in Norway.

June 17th, 2009 COLORADO SPRINGS - The 2004 Olympic gold medallist Tyler Hamilton has accepted an eight-year ban from cycling after he admitted to taking a banned substance. The US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) said Tuesday Hamilton, 38, has accepted the suspension for a second anti-doping rules violation.