Olympic champion Ramzi stripped of gold medal

Bahrain's Olympic 1,500 metres champion Rashid Ramzi has been stripped of his gold medal for doping at the Beijing 2008 Games.

"The IOC today announced sanctions against five athletes who participated in the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing for having committed anti-doping violations," the IOC said in a statement.

"The athlete, Rashid Ramzi shall be disqualified from the athletics men's 1,500m event, where he had placed first. He shall have his medal and diploma in the above-mentioned event withdrawn," the IOC said.

Ramzi, Bahrain's first Olympic champion was the only gold medallist among the five sanctioned.

The 29-year-old former world champion's positive for the banned blood-booster CERA was announced in April after frozen samples from the Beijing Olympics were re-tested for that specific substance.

Asbel Kipruto Kiprop of Kenya who won silver behind Ramzi now stands to be upgraded to gold, with the decision resting on the IOC. New Zealand's Nicholas Willis took bronze in the 1,500 final and Mehdi Baala of France was fourth.

Italy's cycling road race silver medallist Davide Rebellin was ordered to return his medal by the country's Olympic Committee on Tuesday.

The other positive results were from German cyclist Stefan Schumacher, already banned for doping, Greece's 2004 Athens Games 20km walk champion Athanasia Tsoumeleka and Croatian 800 metres runner Vanja Perisic.