Taking advantage of new scientific methods developed since the urine samples were taken at the respective competitions, once undetectable substances are now showing up and are allowing for the sanctioning of athletes up to 10 years after they were first tested. 

 

The samples had been stored at the Swiss Laboratory for Doping Analyses since they were taken, with re-analysis beginning in 2012. The first wave of findings were revealed in March of 2013, with an initial list of six athletes found to have adverse results. With another 28 athletes now set to be disciplined, the floodgates have officially opened as the IAAF can now test samples as far back as 10 years under the new World Anti-Doping Code provision. 

 

The names of the 28 athletes are not being revealed at this time due to the ongoing legal process, but the IAAF did confirm that none of the athletes listed will compete in Beijing at the 2015 World Championships, and that many are already retired. 

The annoucment of these findings comes on the heels of the IAAF receiving a firestorm of criticism last week as the UK's The Sunday Times and the German broadcasting company ARD published stories stating that 1/3 of all medal winners at Olympic and World Championship competitions from 2001-2012 had suspicious biological passports, with 146 of these athletes going unpunished. 

The IAAF has refuted these claims, calling them "sensationalist and confusing".