IOC plans to end hammer probe

LONDON (Kyodo) The International Olympic Committee will in December make a final verdict on the doping cases involving Belarusian hammer throwers Vadim Devyatovskiy and Ivan Tsikhan, who both tested positive for banned substances at the Beijing Games in August, it was learned Monday.

Devyatovskiy and Tsikhan will both be stripped of their silver and bronze medals if they are found guilty of doping, meaning Koji Murofushi, the Athens Games gold medalist who finished fifth in Beijing, would be awarded the bronze.

The IOC's Disciplinary Commission decided in September to give Devyatovskiy and Tsikhan time to provide information on why traces of testosterone were found in their samples after the Aug. 17 hammer final in Beijing.