25 October 2010 12:34 pm
"We have taken his medal into our custody, pending the completion of inquiries," Sri Lankan Olympic Committee chairman Hemasiri Fernando told reporters. "He has two weeks to make a written submission."
Wanniarachchi, 30, Sri Lanka's only gold-medal winner at the Games, apparently tested positive for the performance-enhancing steroid nandrolone.
The allegations are included in a report sent to Colombo by organizers of the New Delhi Games. The boxer faces a two-year ban and will be stripped of his medal if his "B" test also proves positive.
Fernando said that Wanniarachchi may have unknowingly taken the banned steroid when he consulted a physician several months ago. "If that is indeed the case, we will plead for a lenient punishment," Fernando said.
A sports ministry official said the probe would extend to the physician who treated Wanniarachchi. Police had already interviewed the physician, a police source said. Wanniarachchi beat Welshman Sean McGoldrick in the bantamweight category final to clinch gold.
Sri Lanka also won one silver and one bronze medal in boxing and weightlifting during the games, which were held from October 3 to 14. Two Sri Lankan athletes tested positive for nandrolone in 1998 and 2007, but on both occasions they were cleared after alleged flaws in the inquiries against them. (AFP)