Olympics: Russia told to return 2008 relay gold over doping

China’s Bird’s Nest stadium stands idly in the midst of Beijing’s fog. The Bird’s Nest was the site of the women’s 4×100 sprint relay during the 2008 Beijing Olympics where Russia won gold. The International Olympics Committee is ordering Russia to return the medals after one of its athletes in the event tested positive for doping. AP

RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil — Russia was stripped of its 4x100m women’s sprint relay title from the 2008 Beijing Olympics on Tuesday after team member Yulia Chermoshanskaya failed a doping re-test.

“The Russian Federation team is disqualified from the women’s 4x100m relay,” the International Olympic Committee said in a statement announcing Chermoshanskaya’s failure.

Chermoshanskaya, now 30, tested positive for two banned substances after samples from 2008 were re-analyzed using more advanced detection techniques.

READ: Russia banned from Paralympics over doping

Belgium finished second behind Russia in the 2008 race at Beijing’s ‘Bird’s Nest’ stadium, with Nigeria third and Brazil in fourth position.

Chermoshanskaya also had her eighth-place finish in the women’s 200m annulled because of her newly revealed doping offence.

Anti-doping experts are re-analyzing samples from both Beijing and the 2012 London Olympics to catch cheats who were able to beat the drug tests in use at the time.

Russia has been in the spotlight at the ongoing Rio Olympics after revelations of a state-sponsored doping regime saw its team slashed by nearly a third.