The athletes include Russia's Tatyana Kotova, the Helsinki long jump silver medallist, her teammate Olga Kuzenkova, who won the hammer title that year, and Nadzeya Ostapchuk of Belarus, the shot put gold medallist in Finland.

Kotova, 36, who has won three world silvers and bronze at the Sydney 2000 and Athens 2004 Olympics, has already been provisionally suspended by the Russian Anti-Doping Agency.

Ostapchuk was suspended after testing positive for a banned substance having won gold at the London 2012 Olympics.

Nadzeya Ostapchuk, en route to the Olympic gold at London 2012 which was stripped from her following a positive doping test, is one of six athletes whose re-tested Helsinki 2005 samples proved adverse

Kuzenkova is now retired from the sport.

The IAAF instigated the re-analysis of samples originally taken during Helsinki 2005 using the most up-to-date analytical techniques and making the maximum use of the eight-year statute of limitation on testing frozen urine samples.

These samples had been transferred to the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) accredited laboratory in Lausanne, Switzerland following the World Championships for long-term storage in accordance with the IAAF re-testing policy.

"The IAAF's message to cheaters is increasingly clear that, with constant advancements being made in doping detection, there is no place to hide," insisted IAAF President Lamine Diack.

"This re-testing is just the latest example of the IAAF's firm resolve to expose cheating in our sport.

"The IAAF will continue to do everything in its power to ensure the credibility of competition, and where the rules have been broken, will systematically uncover the cheats."

Olga Kuzenkova of Russia, (centre) with her hammer gold medal at the Helsinki 2005 World Championships, has since retired

The six adverse findings involving Andrei Mikhnevich, Ivan Tsikhan, Vadim Devyatovskiy and Ostapchuk of Belarus, and Kotova and Kuzenkova of Russia, have triggered disciplinary procedures which are ongoing in accordance with IAAF Rules.

The IAAF will not make any further comment until the completion of those proceedings.

Prior to today's announcements two athletes, Vladyslav Piskunov of Ukraine, who had finished 12th in the men's hammer throw, and Neelam Jaswant Singh of India, who was ninth in group A of the women's discus throw qualification, had already been sanctioned and disqualified for doping violations at the 2005 IAAF World Championships.

Contact the writer of this story at mike.rowbottom@insidethegames.biz


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