Track legend of Greece banned for adverse finding in a re-analysis of a sample from Rio Olympics

Christos Volikákis (37) has represented Greece at four Olympic Games between 2008-2021. The representant in Keirin and Sprint disciplines was issued a three-year ban following an adverse finding in his sample from the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games.

The sample was found to contain selective androgen receptor modulators (SARMs), which are supposed to induce muscle growth and fat loss. The samples taken from each Olympic Games are kept for up to ten years and routinely re-analysed as part of a programme mandated by the IOC.

Volikákis has now been banned for three years. The Greek is one of the first athletes to be found guilty of banned substances based on the retesting of the Rio Olympics. His suspension expires on March 14, 2027, having already been provisionally suspended for one year.

Volikákis never scored a big medal at the Olympic Games, however he has medals from World and European Championships and one World Cup victory from 2011 in his finest discipline - Keirin. His last start was in 2023 and so we shouldn't expect the Greek to return to active racing after the expiration of his ban.

The statement on the case from UCI: