International Olympic Committee Reveals Another 45 Failed Drug Tests From Beijing and London Olympics

The International Olympic Committee has announced that 45 athletes who competed at the Beijing and London Olympics have tested positive for banned substances, as revealed by an extensive reanalysis of samples.

In a statement on their official website, the IOC has revealed that a second wave of chemical analysis has thrown up 45 additional failed tests from the 2008 and 2012 Games. These include provisional adverse analytical findings (PAAFs) for 30 athletes who contested the Beijing Olympics, and adverse analytical findings (AAFs) for 15 competitors at London 2012.

The total number of athletes who tested positive for prohibited substances in Beijing and London now stands at 98. A third and fourth wave of reanalysis are scheduled to take place over the course of Rio 2016.

In light of the latest round of retesting, IOC president Thomas Bach said: "The new reanalysis once again shows the commitment of the IOC in the fight against doping." The athletes concerned are now to be notified, after which disciplinary proceedings will be opened against them.

This could affect the Rio Olympics, with the number of athletes excluded from the Games seemingly set to increase.

Those found to have infringed anti-doping rules in Beijing and London could now be banned from competing in Rio. They will join the majority of Russian athletes, who have been expelled from the upcoming Games owing to evidence of systematic, state-sponsored doping in Russia.