Mumbai: Olympics bronze medallist Yogeshwar Dutt’s chances to get his medal upgraded to silver evaporated on Monday after the International Olympic Committee decided to drop the investigation against the deceased wrestler Russian wrestler Besik Kudukov.
Kudukov, who won the silver medal in the men’s freestyle 60kg category at the 2012 Olympics was tested positive for a banned steroid. The wrestler died in a car crash in 2013.
In a statement, released by the Russian Wrestling Federation, the organisation said Kudukhov’s sample from the 2012 Games was retested this year and found to be positive for the steroid turinabol.
The case was passed to a three-member IOC disciplinary commission, comprising Denis Oswald of Switzerland, Sweden’s Gunilla Lindberg and Ugur Erdener from Turkey.
According to the statement, on October 19, the committee decided to terminate the investigation against Kudukhov.
“The International Olympic Committee will not deprive wrestler Besik Kudukhov of his silver medal at the 2012 Olympic Games in London,” first deputy president of the Russian Wrestling Federation Georgy Bryusov, also a vice president of the United World Wrestling, said in the statement.
According to reports that emerged in August, Dutt’s bronze medal would have been upgraded to silver as the Russian wrestler tested positive.
Dutt acknowledged the same on Twitter, however, he refused to accept the silver medal.
