LAUSANNE: Ekaterina Guliyev is set to lose the 800 metres silver medal she won for Russia at the 2012 Olympics after the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) dismissed her appeal against a four-year doping ban, the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) said on Friday. Guliyev, who competed for Russia before switching allegiance to Turkey, was banned for two years in April 2024 for the period from March 2023 for the use of a prohibited substance, with the AIU disqualifying her results from July 17, 2012 until October 20, 2014. The 2012 Olympics were held from July 27-Aug 12. Competing as Ekaterina Poistogova, she finished third in the 2012 Olympic final. But Guliyev was upgraded to silver when Russian winner Mariya Savinova was found guilty of doping offences, before she herself was also banned for doping. “In reaching its judgement, CAS upheld the decision to disqualify the 34-year-old’s results from 17 July 2012 to 20 October 2014, confirming the loss of her reallocated Olympic silver medal,” the AIU said in a statement. “World Athletics and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) are now proceeding with the next steps.” World Athletics’ competition department will now disqualify her results and then notify the IOC. The IOC may then proceed with the reallocation of Olympic medals, with Kenyan Pamela Jelimo set to be awarded the silver while American Alysia Montano will be moved up to the bronze medal position. The women’s middle distance events at the London Olympics were heavily tainted by doping with two other runners in the 800m final since having had their results voided — Savinova and Russian Elena Arzhakova. Guliyev is one of hundreds of athletes who have been sanctioned following the ‘Operation LIMS’ investigation into Moscow’s anti-doping laboratory which uncovered widespread institutionalised doping. Published in Dawn, June 7th, 2025