The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) on Tuesday announced that it would be initiating disciplinary action against 28 as-yet unnamed athletes after retesting samples from the 2005 and 2007 World Championships.
Eastern Europeans, including Russians, make up a large number of the 28, sources familiar with the testing told Reuters on Tuesday.
They were not aware of any Americans on the list and the BBC reported there were no British athletes.
In a statement posted on the federation’s website, the IAAF states that the results yielded 32 adverse findings and that the 28 athletes could not yet be named due to the legal process.
It was also revealed that most of the athletes named have since retired with some already having been sanctioned. Only a few remain active in the sport. The 2005 World Championships were staged in Helsinki, with Osaka, Japan hosting two years later.
Officials at the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) would not comment on the cases, saying they would await the conclusion of the testing process.
If violations are confirmed, the IAAF said it would correct the record books for the 2005 and 2007 world championships, which were held in Osaka, and re-allocate medals as necessary.
