The International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) announced that Ciricu produced a positive test for the anabolic steroid dehydrochlormethyltestosterone. 

Ciricu has been provisionally suspended by the IWF while the case remains ongoing, with the organisation stating that "following the IOC’s decisions, the IWF will be in a position to take over the results management of these cases".

The Moldovan weightlifter was banned from the sport for eight years in 2015 after a second positive test, having previously been banned for two years in 2007.

Ciricu had been in line to receive the gold medal from the Games, with the initial winner Ilya Ilyin of Kazakhstan and runner-up Aleksandr Ivanov of Russia having also failed tests.

The IWF revealed their positive samples from the retests in July, but the final outcome of their cases have yet to be confirmed.

With fourth place finisher Andrey Demanov of Russia, a double European champion, having also been implicated in the retests, Iran’s Saeid Mohammadpour now appears in line to claim the gold medal from London 2012.

Sixth and seventh place finishers Intiqam Zairov of Azerbaijan and Almas Uteshov of Kazakhstan have also been implicated in the retests, which result in the silver and bronze medals being awarded to the eighth and ninth place finishers in London.

South Korea’s Kim Min-jae finished eighth in the event by lifting 395kg, while Poland’s Zielinski was ninth by achieving a total of 385kg.

News of a potential bronze medal for Zielinski comes just a month after he was sent home from the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.

It emerged that he failed a test for banned anabolic steroid nandrolone at the National Championships in July.

His older brother Adrian, who won the under 85kg division at London 2012, was also sent home from Rio 2016 after also testing positive for nandrolone.

Moldova now appear set to receive a one year ban from weightlifting following Ciricu’s positive test, with the country having now had three positives in the IOC retests.

It comes after the IWF Executive Board ruled that countries which produce three or more anti-doping rule violations in the combined re-analysis of samples from the 2008 and 2012 Olympics face being banned.

Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, China, Kazakhstan, Russia, Turkey and Ukraine are all facing the prospect on a ban, should all outstanding cases be confirmed.

List of weightlifters announced by IWF who have been implicated in the Beijing 2008 and London 2012 Olympic retests: