Even a return to the hallowed environs of ancient Olympia could not save track and field from its scandal-ridden self.
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The first woman to become a champion at a site where only men were allowed to compete in the ancient Games has tested positive for steroids.
Russian Olympic Committee spokesman Gennady Shvets told the Associated Press that Irina Korzhanenko tested positive for stanozolol, a steroid.
“Nobody can believe that this is actually happening,” Shvets said.
“This is very sad,” a track official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
The International Olympic Committee had no comment, according to spokeswoman Giselle Davies.
The IOC executive board has jurisdiction over all doping violations that occur during the Olympics.
The executive board is expected to get the case Monday, a source said.
Korzhanenko, 30, lost her silver medal at the 1999 world indoor championships after testing positive for drugs. She was banned two years.
If this test is confirmed as a doping offense, she faces a lifetime ban. Cuba’s Yumileidi Cumba would inherit the Olympic shot put gold.
The case would be another blow for the reputation of track and field in general and the shot put in particular.
Yanina Korolchik of Belarus, the Olympic women’s shot put champion four years ago in Sydney, could not defend her title because she is suspended for doping.
All three of the 1992 men’s shot put medalists had previously served doping suspensions. Two of the three 1996 medalists had previous suspensions and subsequently were given lifetime bans for a second offense.
“I don’t think we could be in a worse situation,” said triple Olympic gold medalist Gail Devers of the United States, referring to her sport’s recent rash of doping scandals.
“This is the worst I’ve ever seen.
“It’s all over the news, and they talk about that before they talk about gold medals.”
Devers said intense testing needs to be continued for the good of track and field, even if “there are only two people left in the sport.”