Weightlifter stripped of medal

A weightlifter from Kyrgyzstan has become the first athlete at the Rio Olympics to be stripped of a medal after failing a drug test.

A Chinese swimmer and Brazilian cyclist were also disqualified on Thursday and a Moldovan canoeist was suspended and could lose his bronze medal.

Weightlifter Izzat Artykov tested positive for strychnine - banned as a stimulant - after winning the bronze in the men's 69-kilogram division, the Court of Arbitration's anti-doping division said.

The 22-year-old lifter's medal was taken away and he was kicked out of the games.

Strychnine is a highly toxic drug often used as a pesticide, particularly for killing rodents.

However, it also has a long history in sports doping, used in small doses to tighten tired muscles.

Strychnine was reportedly commonly used in the early years of the Tour de France to help cyclists survive the demanding rides.

CAS referred the case to the international weightlifting federation for possible further sanctions against Artykov, who could face a two-year ban from the sport.

The federation and the IOC were asked to decide on the reallocation of the medal.

The arbitration court also removed Indian wrestler Narsingh Yadav from the Rio Olympics and gave him a four-year suspension for doping.

Earlier Thursday, weightlifter Izzat Artykov was stripped of his bronze medal after testing positive, while Moldovan canoeist Serghei Tarnovschi is provisionally suspended and risks losing his bronze for a failed test.