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OCA returns Chinese hammer thrower gold medal after scrapping positive result (update)

Xinhua, May 6, 2015 Adjust font size:

The Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) announced Wednesday that they are to return the Asian Games gold medal to Chinese hammer thrower Zhang Wenxiu after her positive doping result was cancelled.

The OCA disqualified Zhang and took back her gold medal after her sample showed the presence of banned substance zeranol, two days before her victory on Sept. 28, 2014.

"Because of these findings, the Olympic Council of Asia disqualified the athlete and withdrew her gold medal, in accordance with the applicable OCA Anti-Doping Regulations," said OCA in an email to Xinhua.

Zhang filed an appeal with CAS in October 2014 and successfully had OCA's decision overturned.

"In April 2015, following further testing performed by independent specialists, the Olympic Council of Asia was informed that such testing had established that the presence of Zeranol was, as Ms. Zhang asserted, the consequence of the consumption of contaminated food, i.e. the consumption of the mycotoxin zearalenone, and that Ms. Zhang did not ingest the Prohibited Substance detected in her sample," said OCA in the statement.

"Based on this new information and supported by WADA, the Olympic Council of Asia recognizes that Ms. Zhang did not return an Adverse Analytical Finding for the presence of zeranol, nor therefore commit an Anti-Doping Rule Violation during the 2014 Asian Games," it said.

"Accordingly, the Olympic Council of Asia will return the gold medal to Ms. Zhang," it said.

Zhang was happy to hear the news.

"This is what I have hoped. To redeem my reputation I hired a lawyer and appealed to the CAS, and now I am finally cleared of doping offence," said Zhang. "I am so excited." Endi