Tigran Martirosyan may claim 2008 Olympics silver amid doping scandal

PanARMENIAN.Net - Armenian weightlifter Tigran Vardan Martirosyan (under 85 kg) may be recognized as silver medalist of the 2008 Olympics as three champion weightlifters from China and eight other medalists stand to be stripped of their titles after failing retests of their doping samples from the Beijing Games.

Among the eight medalists is current world record holder Andrei Rybakou of Belarus, who won silver in 2008.

All tested positive for various anabolic steroids, according to the IWF.

The other medalists are Anastasia Novikova of Belarus, Kazakhstan's Maria Grabovetskaya and Irina Nekrasova, Russia's Khadzhimurat Akkaev and Dmitry Lapikov, and Ukraine's Natalya Davydova and Olha Korobka.

Chinese gold medalists Cao Lei, Liu Chunhong and Chen Xiexia all tested positive for GHRP-2, which stimulates growth hormone production, while Liu also tested positive for the stimulant sibutramine.