Russia says 8 athletes in 2012 Games positive after retests

ROC this week confirmed that 14 of their athletes were found to be positive in 2008 Beijing Olympics after retesting

MOSCOW: Russia's Olympic Committee (ROC) said on Saturday that eight of its athletes in the 2012 London Olympics were positive for doping following new tests of their samples given during the Games.

"The International Olympic Committee (IOC) officially informed the Russian Olympic Committee that the results of new samples taken during the London Olympic Games have returned positive results for eight Russian athletes in three disciplines," the ROC said in a statement after the IOC on Friday reported 23 new doping failures from retests on 265 samples from London.

Russia this week confirmed that 14 of their athletes were found to be positive in the 2008 Beijing Olympics after retesting.

"In accordance with international regulations, the names of the athletes will not be disclosed before the analysis of the B sample," the statement added.

The head of the ROC's legal department, Anna Brilliantova, said the B samples would be tested on May 31 and June 1 at the anti-doping laboratory in Lausanne, Switzerland.

The Russian athletics federation said on Tuesday that it would bar any athlete found to have used doping in previous years from competing at Rio.

The latest revelations come as Russia is embroiled in an immense doping scandal which could prevent its track and field athletes from competing in Rio.

The world athletics governing body IAAF is set to rule on June 17 whether to lift Russia's provisional suspension from Rio over evidence of state-sponsoring doping in Russian athletics.