Three disqualified from Olympics: Russia

Mar 22, 2017 - 9:16 AM Russian officials say three of the country's athletes have been retroactively disqualified from the 2012 Olympics after failing doping retests.

The Russian track and field federation says hammer throwers Maria Bespalova and Gulfiya Khanafeeva and triple jumper Viktoria Valyukevich have been disqualified. None of them were medallists.

The disqualifications of Bespalova and Khanafeeva mean all three Russian women who competed in the hammer throw in 2012 have tested positive. Tatyana Lysenko was the original winner, but was stripped of her gold medal in October.

Valyukevich was eighth in the triple jump in 2012, two places ahead of fellow Russian Tatyana Lebedeva, who's been stripped of two medals from the 2008 Beijing Games for doping.

Russian officials didn't say which substances were involved. The International Olympic Committee had no immediate comment.

Source: AAP