Team Great Britain Asked to Return Silver Medals Won at 2020 Tokyo Olympics

Amidst the pandemic, Tokyo Olympics 2020 was seen as a symbol of hope. And winning an Olympic medal is the most prestigious award that any athlete could think of. However, losing an Olympic medal is more than heartbreak. And the same could be said for the British Men’s 4×100 quartet. The British team has to bid goodbye to its Olympic medal after one of its member- CJ Ujah-tested positive for banned substances.

CJ Ujah was found guilty of Doping

The Brit athlete, Chijindu “CJ” Ujah, was found guilty of committing a doping rules violation by testing positive for two banned substances. As a result, Ujah and his teammates have been told to return their medals by the Court of Arbitration of sports.

“It is with real sadness that we have had to ask for the medals, certificates, and pins back, especially for the three athletes who have been affected through no fault of their own,” said BOA CEO, Andy Anson, in a statement.

In a statement, Ujah said that he accepted the decision by the Court of Arbitration for sports. He also added that he unknowingly consumed some sort of contaminated supplement.

Ujah said, “I sincerely regret that this has inadvertently led to the forfeiture of the men’s 4 x 100m relay team’s Olympic silver medals at the Tokyo Olympic Games,”.

The substances CJ tested positive for were identified as S-23 and Ostarine. Ostarine is used to treat Osteoporosis and Muscle Wasting, whereas, S-23 targets muscle and bone tissues. The quartet consisting of Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake and Zharnel Hughes, and Richard Kilty were left heartbroken.

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After the incident, CJ issued an apology to his teammates and their families. A UK Athletics spokesperson said that they were in constant communication with the athletes involved. However, would refrain from making an official comment. This decision implies that Canada, which finished third in the Olympics, is going to be upgraded to Silver medals. And China will get the Bronze.

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Naturally, Ujah has been banned from the sport but the length of his ban is not yet confirmed. The hearing for the same will be conducted by the Athletics Integrity Unit. But it is assumed that the ban will be for 4 years.

Not the First time a GB Athlete had to return their medal

Kerrith Brown lost his Bronze medal in Judo at the Seoul Games in 1988 after testing positive for a banned substance. Then, in the year 2002, Skier Alain Baxter was stripped of his Alpine Slalom Bronze medal as he used a Vicks Inhaler purchased from the US.  And it was later found out that the same product, purchased in the UK, did not have the banned substance.