Doping penalties:
Weightlifter Izzat Artykov of Kyrgyzstan, above, is the first athlete to be stripped of a Rio medal for a positive drug test.
RIO DE JANEIRO — A weightlifter from Kyrgyzstan became the first athlete at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics to be stripped of a medal after failing a drug test, while a Chinese swimmer and Brazilian cyclist were also disqualified Thursday and a Moldovan canoeist was suspended and could lose his bronze medal.
Weightlifter Izzat Artykov tested positive for strychnine — banned as a stimulant — after winning the bronze in the men’s 69-kilogram division, the Court of Arbitration’s antidoping division said.
The 22-year-old lifter’s medal was taken away, and he was kicked out of the games.
Strychnine is a highly toxic drug often used as a pesticide, particularly for killing rodents. However, it also has a long history in sports doping, used in small doses to tighten tired muscles. Strychnine reportedly was commonly used in the early years of the Tour de France to help cyclists survive the demanding rides.
CAS referred the case to the international weightlifting federation for possible further sanctions against Artykov, who could face a two-year ban from the sport. The federation and the IOC were asked to decide on the reallocation of the medal.
Luis Javier Mosquera of Colombia is in line to be upgraded from fourth place to the bronze medal.
Also Thursday, the arbitration court removed Indian wrestler Narsingh Yadav from the Rio Olympics and gave him a fouryear suspension.
Yadav had originally escaped a ban over two positive tests earlier this year for the banned substance methandienone after India’s national anti-doping agency accepted his explanation that his food or drink had been tampered with.
However, the World Anti-Doping Agency disagreed and filed an appeal to CAS, which ruled that there was “no evidence” to support Yadav’s claim of sabotage.
Yadav had been scheduled to compete Friday in the men’s 74-kilogram freestyle class.
Earlier Thursday, weightlifter Izzat Artykov was stripped of his bronze medal after testing positive, while Moldovan canoeist Serghei Tarnovschi is provisionally suspended and risks losing his bronze for a failed test.
Also Thursday, the arbitration court issued final verdicts in the cases of swimmer Chen Xinyi and cyclist Kleber Ramos.
The 18-year-old Chen, who finished fourth in the 100-meter butterfly, had previously accepted a “provisional suspension” after testing positive for a diuretic. After a hearing was held in the case, CAS said she had been formally disqualified and her fourthplace result annulled. The international swimming federation, FINA, was asked to consider any further sanctions.
Chen tested positive for hydrochlorothiazide, which is listed by the World AntiDoping Agency as a “specified substance.” Athletes testing positive for those substances can receive reduced penalties because of the possibility the drug was taken inadvertently.
Ramos, meanwhile, tested positive for the blood-booster EPO in a pre-games test July 31. He had accepted a provisional suspension “on a voluntary basis” and did not request a hearing. CAS said he has now been disqualified and kicked out of the games. His case was referred to the international cycling body, which could impose a two-year ban.
In a separate case, the International Canoe Federation said Serghei Tarnovschi had been suspended after failing a pre-competition doping test. Tarnovschi, 19, placed third in the 1,000 meters canoe single final Tuesday and was to compete in the 1,000 meters double on Friday.