LONDON, Aug 4: Doping moved back into the spotlight at the London Olympics on Saturday with at least four more confirmed positive cases and a string of high-profile doping offenders returning to the world’s biggest sports stage in search of restitution.

On the day when athletics took centre stage with its big names starting their quest for gold, Colombian 400 metres runner Diego Palomeque Echevarria became the latest athlete to be banned following a positive first test for performance-boosting testosterone.

Scheduled to run on Saturday morning, he was temporarily suspended pending a B sample test, the IOC said on Saturday.

He joined Russian cyclist Victoria Baranova, who was sent home for failing a test for testosterone, to bring the tally of athletes suspended by the IOC to four since the start of the Olympic period on July 16.

Belarussian hammer thrower Ivan Tsikhan and Moroccan runner Amine Laalou were also ruled out with the International Association of Athletics Federations saying they had been charged with anti-doping rule violations.

Tsikhan won the bronze medal in Beijing four years ago but was stripped of it after testing positive for testosterone.

“The IAAF is now in a position to confirm that Ivan Tsikhan and Amine Laalou have both been charged with anti-doping rule violations under IAAF Rules.”

Several other athletes, including Brazilian rower Kissya Cataldo da Costa who was expelled on Saturday for failing a dope test for EPO, have been sent home by their own federations.

Ironically, it was also the day when former big name doping offenders Justin Gatlin, Dwain Chambers and LaShawn Merritt made their Games comebacks in front of an enthusiastic 80,000 crowd.

“I would clearly rather have that these competitors are not here,” Games chief Sebastian Coe said. —Reuters