IOC strips Tyrel Hamilton of Athens gold

London – GBR, August 10, 2012: The Executive Board of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) today announced that it has disqualified American cyclist Tyler Hamilton from the events he competed in at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games. Hamilton, 41, who finished first in the Men’s Individual Time Trial and 18th in the Men’s Road Race at Athens 2004, was disqualified from those events after he admitted to having used performance-enhancing drugs in advance of the Games in a letter sent to the IOC on 28 June 2012.

The IOC Executive Board concluded:

I. The athlete, Mr Tyler Hamilton, is disqualified from the following events in which he competed at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games in the sport of cycling:

– Men’s Individual Time Trial, in which he placed 1st; and

– Men’s Road Race, in which he placed 18th;

II. The United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) is requested to return to the IOC the medal and diploma awarded to Mr Hamilton in the Men’s Individual Time Trial event;

III. The International Cycling Union (UCI) is requested to take the appropriate steps so that its records reflect the above; and

IV. The IOC administration is instructed to reallocate the medals and diplomas to the athletes who finished behind Mr Hamilton in the Men’s Individual Time Trial, in which Mr Hamilton placed 1st at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games.

Read the full decision here.

INTERNATIONAL OLYMPIC COMMITTEE IOC EXECUTIVE BOARD DECISION REGARDING MR TYLER HAMILTON BORN ON 1 MARCH 1971, ATHLETE, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, CYCLING

1. The athlete, Mr. Tyler Hamilton, (hereafter the “Athlete”), competed in the following events at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games (hereafter the “Athens Olympic Games”) in the sport of cycling:

– Men’s Individual Time Trial, in which he placed 1st; and

– Men’s Road Race, in which he placed 18th.

2. By letter dated 28 June 2012, from the Athlete to the IOC, the Athlete

(i) admitted having used performance enhancing drugs in advance of the Athens Olympic Games, and

(ii) accepted disqualification of his 1st place result obtained at the Athens Olympic Games.

A copy of this letter is annexed hereto.

3. Pursuant to the above, the IOC Executive Board hereby disqualifies the Athlete from the above-noted events in which he competed at the Athens Olympic Games.

4. The Executive Board further notes the following tables of results, indicating the rankings for the Men’s Individual Time Trial event, in which the Athlete competed at the Athens Olympic Games, before and after the disqualification of the Athlete.

Before: Athlete Rank Medal

Tyler Hamilton (USA) 1 Gold

Viatcheslav Ekimov (RUS) 2 Silver

Bobby Julich (USA) 3 Bronze

Michael Rogers (AUS) 4

Michael Rich (GER) 5

Alexandre Vinokourov (KAZ) 6

Jan Ullrich (GER) 7

Santiago Botero (COL) 8

After: Athlete Rank Medal

Viatcheslav Ekimov (RUS) 1 Gold

Bobby Julich (USA) 2 Silver

Michael Rogers (AUS) 3 Bronze

Michael Rich (GER) 4

Alexandre Vinokourov (KAZ) 5

Jan Ullrich (GER) 6

Santiago Botero (COL) 7

Igor González de Galdeano (ESP) 8

5. The Executive Board therefore instructs the IOC administration to reallocate the medals and diplomas to the athletes that finished behind the Athlete in the event referred to above.

CONSIDERING the above, and pursuant to the Olympic Charter and the relevant anti-doping rules:

THE EXECUTIVE BOARD OF THE INTERNATIONAL OLYMPIC COMMITTEE DECIDES

I. The athlete, Mr. Tyler Hamilton, is disqualified from the following events in which he competed at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games in the sport of cycling:

– Men’s Individual Time Trial, in which he placed 1st; and

– Men’s Road Race, in which he placed 18th;

II. The United States Anti-Doping Agency (“USADA”) is requested to return to the IOC the medal and diploma awarded to Mr. Hamilton in the Men’s Individual Time Trial event;

III. The International Cycling Union (“UCI”) is requested to take the appropriate steps so that its records reflect the above; and

IV. The IOC administration is instructed to reallocate the medals and diplomas to the athletes that finished behind Mr. Hamilton in the Men’s Individual Time Trial, in which Mr. Hamilton placed 1st at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games.

London, 10 August 2012, On behalf of the IOC Executive Board

Dr Jacques ROGGE, IOC President & Christophe DE KEPPER,  IOC Director General.

Under the IOC Anti-Doping Rules applicable to the 2012 London Olympic Games, testing takes place under the IOC’s auspices from 16 July (date of the opening of the Olympic Village) to 12 August 2012. Within that period, the IOC systematically performs tests before and after events. After each event, the IOC systematically carries out tests on the top five finishers plus two at random. The IOC also performs out-of-competition unannounced tests. Over the course of the London Games, the IOC is expected to carry out some 5,000 tests – 3,800 urine and 1,200 blood. For more information, please consult the IOC factsheet on anti-doping. —- IOC