IOC strips Belarussian hammer throwers of medals

LAUSANNE, Switzerland: The International Olympic Committee on Thursday stripped the Beijing medals from two Belarus hammer throwers after they tested positive for testosterone during the Games in August.

Vadim Devyatovskiy, who had won silver in the hammer at the Beijing Games with a best throw of 81.61, was also handed a lifetime Olympic ban in any capacity as a second-time drugs offender.

"The decision shall enter into force immediately," IOC spokeswoman Emmanuelle Moreau told reporters after the decision taken by the IOC Executive Board.