Chinese Drug Company Dopes Greek Olympic Team

(Beijing, China) Either intentionally or negligently, a Shanghai-based drug company, Auspure Biotechnology Co., provided vitamins to the Greek Olympic weight-lifting team that were laced with banned doping ingredients.

Consequently, 11 members of the Greek team tested positive for banned substances.

Greek weight-lifting coach Christos Iakovou was suspended after the results of the tests, carried out by the World Anti-Doping Agency, were released.

Five men and six women from the Greek team returned positive results for banned substances following the random tests. The entire team could now be disqualified from the Beijing Olympics because of the large number of positive results.

Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu said in April that overseas media reports on the case were "not compatible with the true situation" but added that "China would continue investigations and was willing to cooperate with Greece to get to the truth."

Auspure sent a letter to the Greek team to apologize for "mistakenly" adding an illegal component, according to China News Service.

The Chinese government now acknowledges that the Greek team was doped.

"Investigations have since found that the Auspure Biotechnology Co did illegally smuggle and sell doping formulas," the Shanghai Daily quotes Gao Feng, an official of the Supervision Department of the State Food and Drug Administration, as saying at a press conference yesterday.

It's unknown whether the Greek weightlifting team will be exonerated and allowed to compete.

Tip: Shanghaiist

Also: The Jawa Report