All members of the US team that clinched silver at the 2012 London Olympics stripped of their medals

The 4 members of the 4x100m US team that won silver at the London Olympics in 2012

All members of the US men’s relay team that won silver at the 4x100m relay event at the 2012 London Olympics were stripped off their medals due to sprinter Tyson Gay’s doping case, the United States Olympic Committee(USOC) said on Wednesday.

The spokesman of the committee, Patrick Sandusky confirmed the news in a statement. "As expected, following USADA's decision in the Tyson Gay case, the IOC today confirmed that the U.S. team has been disqualified from the 4x100-metres race that was part of the athletics competition at the London 2012 Olympic Games," the statement read.

“We will begin efforts to have the medals returned, and support all measures to protect clean athletes,” he added.

The 32-year-old Gay was banned by the US Anti-Doping Agency(USADA) in May last year for a period of 12 months after he tested positive for a banned anabolic steroid in 2013.

Following that, all his results from July 2012 were annulled and he also had to return the silver medal which he won in the particular event, along with Justin Gatlin, Trell Kimmons and Ryan Bailey. Jeffrey Demps and Darvis Patton, who were part of the preliminary heat, too will lose their medals.

Not the first time that a US team have had their medals taken away

This, though isn't the first instance when an American team has been forced to return all of its medals. The members of the 4x400m relay team too were stripped of the medals they won at the Sydney Olympics in 2000, following doping cases involving Antonio Pettigrew and Jerome Young.

The International Olympic Committee also stripped the US women's 4x100m and 4x400m teams of their medals that they won in same edition of the Games after Marion Jones admitted to doping but except for the tainted Jones, the Court of Arbitration for Sport(CAS) gave back the medals, following an appeal.