Polish lifter Szymon Kołecki becomes 2008 Beijing Olympics champion

The decision was taken following doping retest of blood samples taken at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Prohibited substances were revealed in the samples of Kazakhstani Ilya Ilyin who had won a gold medal and Russian sportsman Khadjimurat Akayev, who had won a bronze medal. Szymon Kołecki ranked the second and Georgian Arsen Kassabiev was the fourth. Now, Kołecki and Kassabiev will receive gold and bronze medals respectively.

Earlier, Ilyin admitted that he would have to return his gold medals  won at the Beijing and London Games.

“We all must abide by the law. I cannot hold the Beijing gold medal. I must  return it to Simon Koletsky who ranked the second there. I cannot say: “I am sorry, but I can’t give it to you.” Because he is my friend, and friendship is more valuable for me than the medal,” said he at the press conference in Astana.

"As for the medal from the London 2012 Olympics, I don't know whom to give it. As far as I know, the best 9 sportsmen were ‘got caught cheating', and the 10th athlete even didn't pass the doping test,. I want all of them to be doping tested to know whom I should return the medal," he noted and added that the door to the Olympic Games is closed for him for the coming 8 years.

He has already announced that he will leave the national team. Therefore he applied for the MBA programme to learn business administration foundations. "I have been stripped off my favorite job, my hobby. I need to close this page and open new one. To open the new door, I need new knowledge," he said.