Barrios loses Olympic silver

Lausanne: Cuba's Yarelys Barrios has been stripped of the silver medal she won in the discus at the Beijing Olympics after failing a doping re-test, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) said on Thursday. The IOC also said that Qatari sprinter Samuel Adelebari Francis had also failed a re-test and had been disqualified from the men's 100 meters in which he finished 16th.

Barrios and Francis were among 98 athletes who have tested positive in reanalysis of samples from both the 2008 Beijing Games and the 2012 London Olympics. The IOC ordered samples from the two Games to be re-tested using new techniques not available at the time of the competitions in attempt to root out cheating.

Six athletes, including three Russian medalists, were disqualified on Wednesday from their events at the Beijing Games. Barrios tested positive for the prohibited substance, acetazolamide, a diuretic and masking agent, the IOC said. It said that the 33-year-old "has the silver medal, the diploma, and the medalist pin obtained in the discus throw event withdrawn and is ordered to return these".