Egyptian officials expect that the country will soon be awarded medals from the 2008 and 2012 Olympics after the International Olympic Committee proceeds with anti-doping cases. The IOC recorded a total of 98 positive cases in recent retests of samples from the Athens and London Games, and took decisions against eight athletes on Thursday, including the 2012 gold medallist in the women's 75kg weightlifting category, Svetlana Podobedova of Kazakhstan. "Podobedova is found to have committed an anti-doping rule violation," the IOC stated on Thursday, confirming that "she is disqualified from the event and has had her medal withdrawn," requesting the International Weightlifting Federation modify the results. "It's very reassuring that the IOC has begun processing the cases, especially as many local federations have expressed worries lately," the chairman of the Egyptian Weightlifting Federation, Mahmoud Mahgoub, told Ahram Online. Podobedova's suspension benefits retired Egyptian weightlifter Abeer AbdelRahman, who finished fifth at the same event, behind Russian silver medalist Natalya Zabolotnaya and Belarusian bronze medalist Iryna Kulesha, who were also suspended for doping and are awaiting a final decision from the IOC. AbdelRahman is also expecting a bronze medal for her performance in the women's 69kg at the 2008 Games, as Chinese gold medalist Liu Chunghong and bronze medalist Nataliya Davydova of Ukraine have also violated anti-doping regulations. Egyptian weightlifter Tarek Yehia is also expecting a bronze medal for the 85kg category at the 2012 London Games, as Russian Apti Aukhadov, who won silver, tested positive for doping and is awaiting a final decision. (For more sports news and updates, follow Ahram Online Sports on Twitter at @AO_Sports and on Facebook at AhramOnlineSports.)
