Olympics doping

LAUSANNE, Switzerland, Nov. 18 (UPI) -- The International Olympic Committee has withdrawn the gold medal won by a Bahraini runner and a silver medal won by an Italian cyclist in the 2008 Olympics.

Rashid Ramzi, running for Bahrain, finished first in the 1,500 meters in the August 2008 Games in China but was deemed to have used a performance-enhancing substance when retests of blood samples taken in Beijing were conducted in April.

Ramzi's gold medal had been the first won by the country but on Wednesday it was announced the award was voided.

The same retests suggested four other athletes used CERA -- continuous erythropoietin receptor activator, a late-generation version of erythropoietin -- during competition in Beijing. Among those was Italian cyclist Davide Rebellin, who on Tuesday had the silver medal, awarded for his second-place finish in the road race, taken away.

It is unclear in both events if other competitors would be moved up in the order of finish. If that is done, the 1,500 gold medal would go to Kenyan runner Asbel Kipruto Kiprop.

The latest actions by international doping officials mean 13 athletes have been disqualified for alleged use of performance-enhancing drugs at the Beijing Games. More than 11,000 athletes took part in the 2008 Games.