Two Belarussian hammer throwers who tested positive for excessive levels of testosterone and were stripped of their medals at the Beijing Olympics have won them back on appeal.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) ruled that Vadim Devyatovskiy and Ivan Tsikhan, who won silver and bronze respectively at the 2008 Games, should have their medals returned.
The CAS emphasised however that the decision should not be interpreted as an exoneration of the athletes and has not declared that the athletes did not, prior to the competition, administer exogenous testosterone.
The court claims the annulment was justified because the doping controls carried out by the Beijing National Laboratory, accredited by the anti-doping agency WADA, were flawed.
