Changes in Medal Standings
On August 15, 2008, the International Olympic Committee announced North Korean shooter Kim Jong-su had tested positive for the banned substance propranolol and was stripped of his two medals. He had won a bronze medal in the 10 metre air pistol and silver in the 50 metre pistol. After Kim Jong-su was disqualified, the bronze medal in the 10 metre air pistol went to Jason Turner of the United States; in the 50 metre pistol, the silver medal went to Tan Zongliang of China, and the bronze medal to Vladimir Isakov of Russia.
Swedish wrestler Ara Abrahamian was originally awarded a bronze medal in the Greco-Roman 84 kg event. However, at the medal ceremony he walked off the podium and dropped his medal on the mat in protest of the judging in his event. On August 16, 2008, the International Olympic Committee decided to strip him of his medal because they felt it amounted to a political demonstration and was disrespectful to other athletes.
Ukrainian athlete Lyudmyla Blonska, who finished second in the women's heptathlon, tested positive for the steroid methyltestosterone. On August 22, 2008, the International Olympic Committee officially stripped Blonska of her medal, and as a result, the silver medal went to Hyleas Fountain of the United States, and the bronze medal to Tatyana Chernova of Russia.
Belarusian athletes Vadim Devyatovskiy and Ivan Tsikhan, who won silver and bronze respectively in the men's hammer throw, both tested positive for abnormal levels of testosterone. After attending a disciplinary hearing in September, they were stripped of their medals on December 11, 2008. Krisztián Pars of Hungary was given the silver medal, and Koji Murofushi of Japan was given the bronze. However, both of the Belarusian athletes had their medals reinstated because the doping tests weren't handled properly.
Norwegian equestrian athlete Tony André Hansen's horse tested positive for the pain relieving medication capsaicin, a banned substance. Hansen, who won a bronze medal in the team jumping event, was disqualified. In the team jumping system, the top three scores garnered by the four riders are counted. Hansen had the best score on his team, and it was removed from the total. Without Hansen's score, his team was below the bronze medal threshold so the medal was awarded to the team from Switzerland on December 22, 2008.
On November 18, 2009, the IOC announced that two medalists had been stripped of their medals. First, Rashid Ramzi of Bahrain had been stripped of the gold medal in the men's 1500 m race. Ramzi had been the first athlete from Bahrain to win an Olympic gold medal. His frozen blood sample was re-tested and found to contain traces of Cera, a stamina-building blood-booster. Kenyan Asbel Kipruto Kiprop was upgraded to gold, Nicholas Willis of New Zealand was given the silver and Mehdi Baala of France received the bronze. Also, Italian cyclist Davide Rebellin had tested positive for Cera and had been stripped of the silver medal he earned in the men's road race. The silver medal was later awarded to Fabian Cancellara of Switzerland (the original bronze medal recipient) and the bronze medal was awarded to Alexandr Kolobnev of Russia.
| Ruling date | Sport | Event | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| August 15, 2008 | Shooting | Men's 10 metre air pistol | North Korea (PRK) | −1 | −1 | ||
| United States (USA) | +1 | +1 | |||||
| Men's 50 metre pistol | North Korea (PRK) | −1 | −1 | ||||
| China (CHN) | +1 | −1 | |||||
| Russia (RUS) | +1 | +1 | |||||
| August 16, 2008 | Wrestling | Men's Greco-Roman 84 kg | Sweden (SWE) | −1 | −1 | ||
| August 22, 2008 | Athletics | Women's heptathlon | Ukraine (UKR) | −1 | −1 | ||
| United States (USA) | +1 | −1 | |||||
| Russia (RUS) | +1 | +1 | |||||
| December 22, 2008 | Equestrian | Team jumping | Norway (NOR) | −1 | −1 | ||
| Switzerland (SUI) | +1 | +1 | |||||
| November 18, 2009 | Athletics | Men's 1500 metres | Bahrain (BRN) | −1 | −1 | ||
| Kenya (KEN) | +1 | −1 | |||||
| New Zealand (NZL) | +1 | −1 | |||||
| France (FRA) | +1 | +1 | |||||
| November 18, 2009 | Cycling | Men's road race | Italy (ITA) | −1 | −1 | ||
| Switzerland (SUI) | +1 | −1 | |||||
| Russia (RUS) | +1 | +1 |
Read more about this topic: 2008 Summer Olympics Medal Table