Davide Rebellin to lose Olympic medal

Italian Davide Rebellin will been stripped of his Olympic silver medal after the Italian Olympic Committee (CONI) received a request to do so from the International Olympic Committee (IOC). The IOC stated that Rebellin has been disqualified for doping. The CONI announced it would comply with the request, and has scheduled a meeting for tomorrow with its attorneys.

Rebellin took second place in the road race in Beijing last summer to Spaniard Samuel Sanchez. Fabian Cancellara of Switzerland was third, and Alexander Kolobnev of Russia was fourth.

Rebellin was one of five athletes to test positive for the blood boosting drug CERA in re-testing of the Olympic doping controls done by the IOC earlier this year. The test for CERA was not in use at the time of the Olympic Games in 2008.

The results of the retroactive testing were released in April, 2009. Rebellin was immediately suspended by his Diquigiovanni team, although he rode for Gerolsteiner at the time of the Olympic Games.

He requested a counter-analysis of the sample, the results of which were to be announced in December. However, the CONI announced Tuesday, "The IOC Disciplinary Commission has disqualified Italian athlete Davide Rebellin from the men's road cycling race at the Olympic Games in Beijing 2008, where he finished second."