IOC Takes Away Astapchuk’s Shot Put Gold

Belarusian female shot put athlete Nadzieja Astapchuk was deprived of her London Olympics 2012 gold on Monday, August 13, BBC reports referring the IOC press service.

The official statement on the IOC website reads:

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) today announced that it has disqualified, withdrawn the medal from, and excluded Belarus’s Nadzieja Astapchuk (athletics, women’s shot put) from the Games of the XXX Olympiad in London.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 Nadzieja Astapchuk, 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(iii) shall have her medal, diploma and medallist pin in the above-mentioned event withdrawn;

(iv) shall have her Olympic Identity and Accreditation Card immediately cancelled and withdrawn.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

Nadzieja Astapchuk, 31, won the gold medal in women’s shot put on August 6. Her best attempt was 21 m 36 cm what is 66 farther than Valerie Adams' result.

Aliaksand Lukashenka has already decorated Nadzeja Astapchuk with the Order For Merit to the Fatherland of the III class.

Now, after the decision by the IOC, Belarus has total 12 Olympic medals: two gold, five silver and five bronze.

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