Romanian weightlifter loses Rio Olympic medal over doping

The Anti-Doping Division of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS ADD) has confirmed that Romanian weightlifter Gabriel Sincraian, who won a bronze medal at the Rio Olympics this summer, has failed a drug test, and will lose his Olympic medal. The information that the Romanian athlete may lose the medal he won at the Rio Olympics first appeared in the media at the end of August. “Romanian weightlifter Gabriel Sincraian is found to have committed an anti-doping rule violation after testing positive for exogenous Testosterone, a non-specified substance prohibited under S1.1b on the WADA prohibited list, during an in-competition doping control on 12 August 2016,” reads the statement from the court of Arbitration for Sport. “All results obtained by Gabriel Sincraian at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, including the bronze medal in the Men’s Weightlifting 85kg event, are disqualified.” The Court of Arbitration took the same decision in the case of Russian boxer Misha Aloian, who also failed the drug test. Thus, Aloian will also lose the silver medal he obtained in the Men’s -52kg boxing event. Romania finished 47th in the country ranking at the 2016 Rio Olympics with one gold medal, one silver, and three bronze. This was Romania’s poorest result at the Olympic Games since the 1952 Helsinki Olympics. Following the Court of Arbitration’s decision in Sincraian's caase, Romania will remain with just four medals. Gabriel Sincraian failed another drug test in 2013 when he was suspended from taking part in competitions for two years. Irina Popescu, irina.popescu@romania-insider.com (Photo source: Comitetul Olimpic si Sportiv Roman on Facebook)