# Somebody tugged on Usain Bolt's cape **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [January 25, 2017, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/somebody-tugged-on-usain-bolts-cape/778181 "2017-01-25T21:01:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![That\_Don\_Guy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/that_don_guy/32/538_2.png) [@That\_Don\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/That_Don_Guy)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2017, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/somebody-tugged-on-usain-bolts-cape/778181/1 "2017-01-25T21:01:52Z")
[Usain Bolt has to give back one of his gold medals from 2008](http://www.espn.com/olympics/story/_/id/18550754/usain-bolt-loses-2008-olympic-relay-gold-teammate-doping-case) as 4x100 relay teammate Nesta Carter’s 2008 sample tested positive for methylhexaneamine. ---
**Author:** ![cmkeller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmkeller/32/118_2.png) [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2017, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/somebody-tugged-on-usain-bolts-cape/778181/2 "2017-01-25T21:11:51Z")
They just got around to testing a 2008 sample now??? ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2017, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/somebody-tugged-on-usain-bolts-cape/778181/3 "2017-01-25T21:20:03Z")
> [@cmkeller](#): > > They just got around to testing a 2008 sample now??? Most likely a new test that will pick up what was undetectable before. ---
**Author:** ![cmkeller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmkeller/32/118_2.png) [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2017, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/somebody-tugged-on-usain-bolts-cape/778181/4 "2017-01-25T21:44:06Z")
running coach: > [@](#): > > Most likely a new test that will pick up what was undetectable before. Even so, why the heck would they store old bodily fluids that long, just in case some future scientist comes up with better testing? How far back do they store stuff to retroactively check the integrity of past medals? Do they have infinite storage space, like that vault in Svalbard that’s supposed to hold seeds of every plant species on Earth? The mind boggles. I would expect there to be a statute of limitations on this sort of thing, especially in a field of endeavor as frivolous as sports. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2017, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/somebody-tugged-on-usain-bolts-cape/778181/5 "2017-01-25T21:49:04Z")
In Australia samples can [be tested up to 8 years later](https://www.asada.gov.au/news/blog-athletes-samples-can-be-tested-eight-years-after-collection). From ASADA: > [@](#): > > With the London Olympics starting this week, it is timely to remind athletes that ASADA keeps samples collected for testing for up to eight years. This allows us to take full advantage of future scientific methods to detect doping that may not be evident with today’s technology. > > In light of this, we want to highlight to athletes and their support staff the steps involved in the testing process, and emphasise that athletes can incur an anti-doping rule violation years after a test has been conducted if a substance has been detected in their sample. Seems they were identified in [May last year.](http://www.nbcolympics.com/news/how-it-works-look-retests-olympic-drug-samples) ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2017, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/somebody-tugged-on-usain-bolts-cape/778181/6 "2017-01-25T22:00:05Z")
> [@cmkeller](#): > > running coach: > > **Even so, why the heck would they store old bodily fluids that long, just in case some future scientist comes up with better testing?** How far back do they store stuff to retroactively check the integrity of past medals? Do they have infinite storage space, like that vault in Svalbard that’s supposed to hold seeds of every plant species on Earth? > > The mind boggles. I would expect there to be a statute of limitations on this sort of thing, especially in a field of endeavor as frivolous as sports. At the very least, samples are saved for possible appeals. Further, medal winner/world record/other reasons are saved for just this situation. I’m sure that with the new test, samples from previous Olympics were run. it’s just that one from 2008 came up positive. I don’t know how long samples are saved but frozen urine is forever. ETA: should have read **don’t ask’s** post. _facepalm_ ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2017, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/somebody-tugged-on-usain-bolts-cape/778181/7 "2017-01-26T01:10:02Z")
> [@cmkeller](#): > > running coach: > > Even so, why the heck would they store old bodily fluids that long, just in case some future scientist comes up with better testing?. That’s exactly correct, and they warn athletes that it might happen. ---
**Author:** ![ekedolphin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ekedolphin/32/10003_2.png) [@ekedolphin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ekedolphin)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2017, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/somebody-tugged-on-usain-bolts-cape/778181/8 "2017-01-26T02:45:12Z")
That team set a new world record with that particular win. Does that get vacated as well? (I don’t know if that record has since been beaten.) ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2017, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/somebody-tugged-on-usain-bolts-cape/778181/9 "2017-01-26T03:14:56Z")
> [@ekedolphin](#): > > That team set a new world record with that particular win. Does that get vacated as well? (I don’t know if that record has since been beaten.) If it’s still the record, it won’t be/isn’t any more. ---
**Author:** ![That\_Don\_Guy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/that_don_guy/32/538_2.png) [@That\_Don\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/That_Don_Guy)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2017, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/somebody-tugged-on-usain-bolts-cape/778181/10 "2017-01-26T20:11:26Z")
> [@ekedolphin](#): > > That team set a new world record with that particular win. Does that get vacated as well? (I don’t know if that record has since been beaten.) The record is currently held by the 2012 Jamaican Olympic team. Carter was on that team as well, but as his 2012 sample has not tested positive, that gold medal, and the world record, still stands.