With the drug test positive, it cast a shadow on Ramzi past performances too

Olympic champion Rashid Ramzi of Bahrain could be stripped of his Beijing 1500 metres gold medal.

He was one of six athletes tested positive for the blood-boosting drug CERA.

International Olympic Committee would now test his ‘B’ sample for confirmation.

If confirmed, the 28 year old face a possible ban on future Olympic appearance and his gold medal stripped.

Bahraini National Olympic Committee official statement were, “We are sorry to hear this news. The NOC of Bahrain can confirm its support to the athlete, who has the full right to open the B test and the right to be listened to, to defend himself. We will cooperate fully with the IOC on the subject and if the second test is positive we will decide what to do then. Ramzi underwent eight tests before and during the Olympic Games and all results were negative.”

The other five athletes who tested positive are Greece’s Athanasia Tsoumeleka (20km walker finished 9th at Beijing), Croatian Vanja Perisic (800m runner, didn’t make through second round), two cyclist and a women weightlifter.