Five Beijing offenders to learn fate in December

THE five athletes who tested positive for doping at the Beijing Olympic Games will learn their fate in December.

The five include Bahrain's 1500m gold medallist Rashid Ramzi and Italian cyclist Davide Rebellin, who claimed silver.

While Greek 20km walker Athanasia Tsoumeleka, German cyclist Stefan Schumacher and Croatian 800m runner Vanja Perisic are also in the dock.

All five tested positive for the blood-booster CERA (Continuous Erythropoiesis Receptor Activator), the latest evolution of Erythropoietin (EPO).

The International Olympic Committee will not meet in Copenhagen but will announce its verdict at a scheduled executive board meeting in Lausanne, Switzerland in December.

If found guilty, each case will be referred back to the respective international federation, which are responsible for handing out bans.

The positive results came in April after the IOC retested 948 athletes' samples, focusing mainly on endurance events in cycling, rowing, swimming and athletics.

Weightlifter Yudelquis Contreras was initially tested positive but was cleared after her B sample came back negative.