On the heels of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) announcement yesterday that requires Italian Davide Rebellin to return his Beijing Olympic road race silver medal for a doping positive, the IOC has said they are also wiping German Stefan Schumacher’s result from the history books.
Schumacher finished 13th in the Olympic time trial.
Both cyclists tested positive for CERA, the newest generation of the blood-boosting drug EPO. The tests were carried out retroactively, after scientists developed a vaild test to detect the presence of the drug. In total six Olympic athletes tested positive, while only five of the athletes have been sanctioned. In one case the drug was not found in the B-sample of the individual.
During the hearing with the IOC Disciplinary Commission Schumacher maintained that he had not taken the drug. According to tuttobici.it, Rebellin’s lawyers released a signed statement indicating he will also fight the charges.
Along with Schumacher, Bernhard Kohl and teammates Leonardo Piepoli and Riccardo Riccò all tested positive for CERA during retroactive testing of their 2008 Tour de France blood samples. Of the four riders, Schumacher is the only one to maintain his innocence.
Kohl and Riccò are part of a positive trend in cycling that has seen dopers admitting their drug use and cooperate with authorities in the investigation. The sport has made great strides in cleaning itself up over the past two years with a concerted effort to weed out the cheats led by the International Cycling Union.