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Belarusian hammer throw duo maintain innocence

The two Belarusian hammer throwers at the center of a doping row maintain their innocence and say that they have evidence to prove their case.

Vadzim Dzevyatowski and Ivan Tsikhan tested positive for traces of testosterone after winning silver and bronze, respectively, at the Beijing Olympics this past August. They have been given by the International Olympic Committee until mid-October to prove their innocence.

In a televised interview on October 23, Mr. Dzevyatowski said, “Today we can say with confidence that this is a possible error, let’s call it this way.”

“We have very serious arguments, which, hopefully, will play their role. Apart from the emotional component, i.e. that this just can’t be, we already have facts, fortunately. This provides some relief and, hopefully, everything will be OK. We have sent documents to Lausanne and are waiting for replies to the questions that we are already starting to ask. We do have many questions today…”

If the pair are found guilty of doping, they will be disqualified and stripped of their medals.

Mr. Dzevyatowski’s silver would go to Krisztian Pars of Hungary, while Mr. Tsikhan’s bronze would go to Japan’s Koji Murofushi.

The 31-year-old Dzevyatowski faces a lifetime ban if found guilty of a second doping offense. He served a two-year doping suspension between 2000 and 2002.

Mr. Tsikhan, 32, won three consecutive world titles, in 2003, 2005 and 2007, and earned the silver medal at the 2004 Athens Olympics.