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China’s Tong Wen, who took
the +78kg World title last year beating Britain's Karina Bryant
in the final, has been stripped of her medal after testing positive
for clenbuterol.
Tong failed the drug test
in August 2009, when she won her fourth World Championship gold
medal in a row in Rotterdam. But the International Judo Federation
(IJF) made the decision at its Council meeting in Tunis to ban
the 27-year-old for two years and remove her 2009 World title.
The IJF have also decided
not to award Bryant, who recently reached her 20th major Championship
medal at the Europeans in Vienna, the gold medal. Thier doping
policy states that any player who tested positively for doping
must give back their medal, and the other judokas keep their ranking
positions and medals.
Commenting on the decisions
made, British Judo Head Coach Patrick Roux said, “Obviously we
are disappointed that Karina has not been awarded the gold medal.
It is very difficult to accept that some players still fight against
the doping control.
“But we understand the
IJF’s decision as in judo it is not so easy to replace one medalist
by another, even though they have done so previously. Tong's first
fights within the Championships would have to also be taken into
consideration.”
The new rules from the
International Olympic Committee (IOC) also prevents anyone competing
in the Games who have tested positive since the last Olympics,
therefore Tong will miss London 2012.
“We expect a clean competition
in judo at the London 2012 Olympics. The IJF has a big responsibility
at the moment, and what I agree is that this is a permanent battle,”
Roux added.
Details of the positive
test and punishment were released by Chinese officials.
"The banned substance
Tong took is clebruterol which has the function of blood vessel
dilatation in medical treatment. But clebruterol overdose can
boost muscle, like an anabolic steroid," said Zhao Jian,
Deputy Director of China Anti-Doping Agency.
"Clebruterol is not
an advanced anabolic steroid and it is very easy to test it out.
We had tested Tong last year before she went to the Netherlands
but found nothing at that moment," Zhao add.
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