Team GB to be awarded two bronze medals for 2008 Olympics after Russia fails retrospective drug tests

Team GB will be awarded two bronze medals for the 2008 Games after their Russian rivals retrospectively failed drugs tests.

Great Britain’s javelin thrower Goldie Sayers and the 4x400 metres relay team both missed out on medals at the Beijing Olympics.

But today, Russia’s javelin silver medallist Maria Abakumova and 400m runner Denis Alexeev, a member of the bronze medal-winning relay team, were disqualified by The International Olympic Committee (IOC) and ordered to return their medals.

The entire Russian relay team have been disqualified as a result of Alexeev's doping, meaning the British squad of Andrew Steele, Robert Tobin, Michael Bingham and Martyn Rooney will move up from fourth place.

Former world champion Abakumova, whose positive retest was first reported in Russia in May, and Alexeev, who failed to make it past the first round of the individual 400m, both tested positive for turinabol.

It was also announced that Inga Abitova, who finished sixth in the 10,000m in Beijing, had also failed a retrospective drugs test, as had cyclist Ekaterina Gnidenko, who finished eighth in the Keirin at London 2012.

The IOC has been retesting stored doping samples from the 2008 and 2012 Olympics using the latest technology as part of the fight against drug cheats.