Heptathlon silver medallist Blonska fails drugs test: IOC

The Disciplinary Commission of the IOC will hold a meeting on Thursday before passing on their recommendations to the Executive Board.

“There has been an adverse finding in her A sample against her (Blonska),” said the source.

“And there is a process being followed against her. However, she has not been stripped of her medal.”

“There will be a Disciplinary Commission hearing about her case tomorrow morning and because she is a medallist it will be then passed to the Executive Board.”

The Ukrainian had already served a previous ban for testing positive in 2003 for stanozolol, the anabolic steroid used by the disgraced sprinter Ben Johnson.

She now faces a life ban for the latest offence.

Should the executive board strip Blonska of her medal, the silver would go to American Hyleas Fountain while Tatiana Chernova of Russia would receive the bronze.

Lamine Diack, the president of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) said that he was informed by the IOC that Blonska had tested positive in her A-sample.

“The athlete had indeed tested positive,” he said. “The procedure is running. The B-sample will no doubt be opened today and a decision taken tomorrow.”

IAAF spokesman Nick Davies said she tested positive for methyl-testosterone, an anabolic steroid. She would face a lifetime ban because of her prior doping suspension should the B-sample also test positive.

Blonska’s is the fifth drugs case of the Beijing Games.

Spanish cyclist Maria Isabel Moreno tested positive for EPO, North Korean shooting medalist Kim-Jong-Su (betablockers), Vietnamese gymnast Do Thi Ngan Thuong (diuretic) while Greece’s rarely seen 2004 Olympic 400 metres hurdles champion Fani Halkia, tested positive for steroids at a training camp.

Blonska, who also reached the long jump final in Beijing on Tuesday, was labelled a cheat by British number one heptathlete Kelly Sotherton after taking silver in the world championships in Osaka last year.

Sotherton, who took bronze in Japan, questioned the Ukrainian’s medal in an event comfortably won by Sweden’s Carolina Kluft.

“I think you can see by the reactions from the other athletes that we are not interested when she is there, we don’t support cheats,” said Sotherton at the time.

“She has cheated once, who says she is not cheating again?”

“It tarnishes our event and we don’t support it in our event, that’s why she does not get the support.”