Runner Nijel Amos announced that he's selling his silver medal from the 2012 London Olympics. Amos is selling the medal, Botswana's first ever Olympic medal, in order to help support his family after he received a three-year ban for doping last week.
Amos' medal was from the 800-meter event at the 2012 Olympics.
The Athletics Integrity Unit announced that Amos has been banned for three years on May 3 after a drug test detected a banned metabolite in a urine sample. After Amos signed an admission, his four-year ban was bumped down to three years.
"Given the circumstances surrounding the case, my legal team and I saw it fit to take that direction so that I get a reduction on my ban," Amos said.
The drug GW1516 was found in Amos' system, and it's a drug that alters how the body metabolizes fat. According to the World Anti-Doping Agency, the drug is a health risk to athletes who take it.
"At this time, my only investment or pension is the famous 2012 Olympic silver medal," Amos said on Tuesday. "I am in touch with different stakeholders, including financial advisors, on how that can sustain me and my family.
"I met with a team that wants to buy it with a value of 4.5m Botswana pulas ($339,750), but with my documentary coming out on Netflix it could change the value to 7.5 million."
Amos still plans to resume his track and field career once his ban ends in July 2025.
"I have no plans to retire," Amos added. "I am still in good shape and I am hopeful that I will rise again in the World Championships in 2025."
