US committee identifies 24 Olympic winners who took banned drugs

THE US Olympic Committee (USOC) has identified 24 athletes who tested positive for banned drugs and then won medals at the Olympic Games over the last two decades, the Los Angeles Times has reported.

But, according to documents obtained by the newspaper, the USOC concluded there is no evidence of a systematic cover-up.

The paper’s website reported on Wednesday that the USOC has indicated that in all but one of the cases the athlete had “already served a suspension or received other appropriate discipline under the applicable rules”.

The USOC’s full report is due to be presented in Lausanne on Thursday at a meeting of the International Olympic Committee’s executive.

The one athlete said not to have been disciplined is referred to as “the case of the unidentified US athlete who won a medal in Sydney”.

The USOC report, says the LA Times, found the overwhelming number of the 24 positive tests were for stimulants commonly found in over-the-counter cold medicines. The names of most of the 24 athletes were not disclosed.