Khasan Baroev refuses to give up his Olympic medal

Khasan Baroev, a Greco-Roman wrestler, has stated he has never used doping and he does not intend to give up his silver medal, obtained at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. At a press conference, he has announced the intention to file a collective lawsuit against WADA in the nearest future.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on November 17, it became known that the International Olympic Committee (IOC) deprived Khasan Baroev, a Greco-Roman wrestler, the current Minister of Sport for North Ossetia, of his silver medal won by him at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.

On November 22, Khasan Baroev invited journalists and commented on the decision of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) to deprive him of the silver medal won by him at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.

"I will not give up my medal. Why should I do that if I won the medal in a completely fair fight?" Khasan Baroev told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

Khasan Baroev told reporters that during his career as an athlete he submitted samples for analyses for doping at least 500-600 times. "An athlete is not allowed to take part in international competitions unless he submits samples for a pre-departure analysis for doping, 10-12 days in advance. If an athlete is 'clean', then he leaves for competitions," noted Khasan Baroev.

"At first, I wanted to bring it all to nothing, but then I decided to fight. I have nothing to be ashamed of, I did not use doping. The justice should prevail," said Khasan Baroev.

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.