Team GB 's 4x100m relay men's runners have been ordered to give back their medals from the Tokyo Olympics in the wake of the doping violation from CJ Ujah.
He ran the first leg of the final and helped the quartet to win silver as they narrowly missed out on the win to the Italian team. But he was provisionally suspended in the following days after a test showed the presence of two banned substances.
"I am not a cheat," Ujah declared at the time, adding that he "would never knowingly take a banned substance". But the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) officially stripped the team of second place in February, after which he revealed he had "unknowingly consumed a contaminated supplement".
That ruling meant Canada were bumped up to silver while the Chinese team moved into the medal places and earned bronze. Meanwhile, Ujah's team-mates Zharnel Hughes, Richard Kilty and Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake all lost their medals despite doing nothing wrong.
In a statement released on Thursday, the British Olympic Association (BOA) announced that it had officially been ordered to return the medals. "The CAS ruling requires all medals, diplomas and pins awarded to the British team for their participation in 4x100 metres race to be returned," the statement said.
BOA chief executive Andy Anson added: "It is with real sadness that we have had to ask for the medals, certificates and pins back, especially for the three athletes who have been affected through no fault of their own. However, this is the CAS ruling and we must abide by it, just as we have been clear that must happen to other nations whose athletes have broken doping rules.
"It is heart-breaking for Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake and Zharnel Hughes, but especially for Richard Kilty, who only competed in one event in Tokyo. We have written to them all to ensure they know their individual status is not diminished in the eyes of everyone at the BOA."
Speaking in the wake of the CAS ruling in February, Kilty revealed that he will "never forgive" Ujah for costing him his Olympic medal. "It’s officially gone and it's utterly devastating. As a team-mate I feel let down. I don't think I'll ever be able to forgive him," he said.
"My dream was always to give my son an Olympic medal to take in and show all the other kids at school. My family and friends had a surprise party booked for me. There was a parade planned around my town in Teeside.
"But then the news broke and all that just came tumbling down. Rather than a homecoming celebrating our achievement, it was coming home to explain. 'What went on? Have you still got your medal? Does your team mate take drugs?' I didn't even want to leave the house. It was just exhausting trying to explain myself. We didn't hear nothing from CJ so I had no idea."
