Indian wrestler Yogeshwar Dutt’s chance of having his London Olympics medal upgraded from bronze to silver was terminated on Monday after the International Olympic Committee decided to drop the investigation against deceased wrestler Russian wrestler Besik Kudukov.
Kudukov, who allegedly tested positive for a banned steroid, won the silver medal in the men’s freestyle 60kg category at the 2012 Olympics and died the following year in a car crash. His case was approved by a three-member IOC disciplinary commission, comprising Denis Oswald of Switzerland, Sweden’s Gunilla Lindberg and Ugur Erdener from Turkey.
“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.
The IOC has been re-testing samples taken from both Beijing 2008 and London 2012 using up-to-date methods to detect banned substances. In August, there were reports stating that with Kudukhov testing positive, Dutt’s bronze medal would be upgraded to silver. Dutt had acknowledged the same, but said he would refuse to accept the silver medal. The Indian said the medal should remain with the Russian’s family. “It will keep his family honour intact. For me, humanity is everything,” Dutt had said.
