Indian wrestler Yogeshwar Dutt’s bronze medal, which he won at the London Olympics in 2012, will not be upgraded to silver as the International Olympic Committee has decided to drop the investigation against deceased Russian wrestler Besik Kudukhov.
Kudukhov, who allegedly tested positive for a banned steroid, won silver in the men’s freestyle 60 kg category in 2012. He died the following year in a car crash. The investigation into his case was terminated by the three-member IOC disciplinary commission on Monday.
“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, said in a statement. Bryusov is also the vice president of the United World Wrestling.
The IOC was in the process of re-testing samples of athletes taken from both Beijing 2008 and London 2012 to detect banned substances. There were reports stating that with Kudukhov testing positive, Dutt’s bronze medal would be upgraded to silver. Dutt, however, had said that he would not accept the medal, and that it should remain with Kudukhov's family.
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