Silver & Gold Medalists of London Olympics (60 Kg Freestyle Wresting) Test Positive ~ Will Yogeshwar Dutt Get Gold

Azerbaijan is a republic  in the Transcaucasian region, situated at the crossroads of Southwest Asia and Southeastern Europe, bounded by Caspian Sea, Russia, Georgia, Armenia and Iran.    News suggest that following an advisory from the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) in 2012, the IOC decided to re-test a select batch of samples from the Athens Olympics. Samples are kept for 8 years and they may be tested anytime is the message – according to the WADA Director, “If you cheated and you thought you got away with it you might have to think again. Don’t look yourself in the mirror until the eight years are up.”  Every year, WADA-accredited laboratories and independent researchers, funded by WADA, IOC or other organisations, are coming up with newer tests and methods to detect prohibited substances in samples. The IOC and other sports bodes are utilizing the opportunity provided by these new methods and latest instruments to get samples re-analysed in order to catch dope cheats. Stanozolol and Oral-Turinabol (chlorodehydromethyltestosterone), another steroid, reportedly the drug of choice in the GDR doping system from the 1960s, are two drugs that are coming up more than others from newer tests that allow detection of substances through a longer period. About 10,500 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees took part in the Games, with 302 medal events being held ~ it is not about Rio but about 2012 London Olympics.    2012 London 0lympics, was India's most successful Olympics in terms of total medal tally, having won a total of 6 medals (2 silver and 4 bronze), doubling the nation's previous record (3 medals at the 2008 Beijing Olympics) ~ and one never thought that there were ways to improve !! Men's freestyle 60 kg competition at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, took place on 11 August at ExCeL London. It consisted of a single-elimination tournament, with a repechage used to determine the winners of two bronze medals. The two finalists faced off for gold and silver medals. Each wrestler who lost to one of the two finalists moved into the repechage, culminating in a pair of bronze medal matches.  Wrestler, Yogeshwar Dutt did the Nation proud by winning  the bronze medal in the 60 kg category. He was awarded the Padma Shri by the Government of India in 2013. He won a gold medal at the 2014 Commonwealth Games. There has been news of the Sivler medallist -  Besik Serodinovich Kudukhov, a Russian freestyle wrestler, testing positive now.   He  is no more ~ having died in a car crash in Dec 2013.  Posthumously, he is subjected to ignominy as on 29^th  August 2016, it was announced that Kudukhov  tested positive for banned substances leading to his silver medal at the 2012 Summer Olympics being stripped from him.
Yogeshwar Dutt might have had a disappointing stint at the Rio Olympics, but he has something to cheer about now. Dutt’s bronze medal, which he won at the 2012 London Games, is set to be upgraded to silver. Although there was no official clarification from United World Wrestling (UWW) or the International Olympic Committee (IOC) on the Russian wrestler being stripped off the meda, the news captured the imagination of social media. Yogeshwar has risen in stature stating  that he respects Besik and he (his family) should be allowed to keep the medal and it will keep their honor in tact.  Great words, coming as they did, from the wrestler who was trolled by Salman Khan fans following his first-round exit from the Rio Olympics.  The Gold medal winner was - Toghrul Shahriyar oghlu Asgarov, an Azerbaijani wrestler.  He beat  Besik Kudukhov of Russia by a score of (1-0, 5-0) Now there is more news suggesting that Toghrul Asgarov, has also failed a dope test.  Quoting an anonymous source, a report in Hindustan Times said that the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) is yet to officially communicate the result to United World Wrestling (UWW).  According to the HT report, if both the gold and silver medallists in 60kg category testing positive for banned substance, Yogeshwar, who had bagged a bronze medal in men's 60kg freestyle in London, will be in line to get the gold. But there are multiple caveats to this. For one, like the report in the Hindu points out, there is no precedent of both finalists in wrestling testing positive at the Olympics. Secondly, Yogeshwar received the silver upgrade because he had lost to Kudukhov, the eventual silver medallist. He, however, never faced Asagrov as he was in the other half of the draw. So the other bronze medallist, USA's Coleman Scott, is likely to be in contention.   There is also a possibility that UWW might have a relook at both the bronze-medal winning bouts and decide on the basis of technical points and other scores to decide the medallists.
With regards – S. Sampathkumar     5^th  Sept 2016.