The IOC stripped Russia of the gold medal the country won in the women’s 4×100-meter relay at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, after a widespread, government-sponsored doping scandal wreaked havoc for the Russian athletes.
The IOC disqualified Yulia Chermoshanskaya, 30, after a reanalysis of the retired runner’s samples from Beijing found traces of two banned substances in her system — stanozolol and turinabol.
Chermoshanskaya was also disqualified from the 200 meters, in which she finished eighth.
In a letter from the IOC addressed to President of NOC, Engr Habu Gumel and signed by Pere Miro, the IOC wrote; “it is our pleasure to inform you that your relay team is now placed second in this same event”.
Belgium has been upgraded to the relay gold, with Nigeria moving up to silver and Brazil to bronze.
And in order to proceed to the reallocation according to the new classification, the IOC asked the NOC to send back bronze medals, second place diplomas and bronze medallists pins of Ms Franca Idoko, Ms Gloria Kemasuode, Ms Halimat Ismailia and Ms Oludamola Osayomi who were Team Nigeria’s flag bearers in the women relay team.