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Greek Weightlifters' B Sample Positive, Coach Still Blames Chinese Firm

Wednesday, 7th May 2008 ~ Maggie ~ Link ~ Comments (0)

Greek weightlifter Leonidas Sampanis lost his Athens bronze after a positive drug test.
Greek weightlifter Leonidas Sampanis lost his Athens bronze after a positive drug test.
The second round of lab tests has confirmed the positive tests of 11 Greek weightlifters for a banned steroid, methyltrienolone. The results make it unlikely that Greece will send a weightlifting team to the games. Names of the athletes still have not been released.

Greek coach Christos Iacovou, who resigned after the test results were announced, still contends that his team was shipped a tainted batch of supplements by Chinese nutritional supplement maker Auspure Biotechnology. In his statement, he called for the Greek prosecutor to seek the help of Chinese authorities in securing testimony from Auspure, according to this report.

One of the athletes is reportedly threatening legal action against anyone found to have caused her to unknowingly consume a banned substance.

Weightlifting is a sport where China has a history of success and multiple medal contenders.

Related stories:
Supplement Company Closed in Doping Scandal
Greeks Blame Doping Scandal on Chinese Lab

Image: Esporte.uol.com

Tags: Greece, Olympics, weightlifting