Six Australian swimmers risk losing their medals following a positive screening test at the London 2012 Olympic Games
Brenton Rickard, who competed in Beijing 2008 and London 2012, tested positive for the diuretic furosemide, a banned masking agent, following re-testing of a sample he gave eight ago years according to the Sydney Morning Herald
The two-time Olympian was a member of the men’s 4×100-meter medley team that won at the London 2012 Olympics
It is understood that the International Olympic Committee is now seeking to disqualify the results of the Games
This would mean that Rickard’s entire Australian medley team of James Magnussen, Christian Sprenger, Hayden Stoeckel, Matt Targett, Tommaso D’Orsogna and Rickard would all be stripped of their medals.
The 37-year-old will now fight the penalty at a hearing at the Court of Arbitration for Sport which begins Monday in Lausanne, Switzerland
« I am delighted to inform you that a sample I provided on August 1, 2012 after the 200m breaststroke event was retested 8 years later and returned with an extremely low concentration of a masking agent , furosemide, « wrote Rickard
« The re-analysis did not detect the presence of another prohibited substance that may have a performance-enhancing effect
« The IOC has brought an action against me in the Court of Arbitration for Sport and seeks to disqualify all my results from the London Games, including the Medley Relay team. Through my lawyers, I objected to this in the strongest terms
« I have always hated doping in sport, so you can imagine how sickened and horrified I am to find myself in this predicament It is my worst nightmare »
Brenton Rickard, Olympic Games, London 2012 Summer Olympics, Swimming, Australia
World News – UA – Australian Olympic medals threatened after positive drug test
SOURCE: https://www.w24news.com
