Track Competitor, Cyclist Stripped Of Beijing Medals For Alleged Doping

November 18, 2009 8:43 p.m. EST

Lausanne, Switzerland (AHN) - Olympic 1500 meter champion Rashid Ramzi and cyclist Davide Rebellin, silver medalist in the road race, have been stripped of their medals after testing positive for doping at the 2008 Beijing Games.

Ramzi and Rebellin were among the five athletes who tested positive for CERA, an advanced version of the blood-boosting drug EPO.

Included in the list were cyclist Stefan Schumacher of Germany, Greek 20km walker Athanasia Tsoumeleka and Croatian runner Vanja Perisic, who were also sanctioned.

All five denied doping.

The new tests for CERA made used of retroactive blood samples taken at the Games.

Moroccan-born Ramzi, who competed for Bahrain, where he had moved to in 2001, is the highest profile athlete to fail the new test.

As a result, Bahrain is set to lose its first gold in Olympic track and field.

Runner-up Asbel Kipruto Kiprop of Kenya will now claim the gold in the 1,500m, with New Zealand's Nicolas Willis moving up to take the silver. Mehdi Baala of France will gain the bronze.

Under IOC rules all five will be banned from the 2012 Olympics in London.