Bulut Suspended Pending Investigation

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Olympic 1500m silver medallist Gamze Bulut has been provisionally suspended pending an IAAF investigation into a possible doping violation.

Turkey's NTV television reports that abnormalities were found in Bulut's blood samples from 2011, 2012 and 2013.

The 23-year-old is the fifth 2012 Olympic finalist to face drug allegations, along with fellow Turk Asli Cakir Alptekin.

Alptekin has since been stripped of her gold medal and banned for eight years.

Nataliya Kareiva of Belarus and Russian athlete Yekaterina Kostetskaya, who finished seventh and ninth respectively, have since been banned by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) for biological passport abnormalities.

Ethiopia-born Swede Abeba Aregawi, who finished fifth in London, was suspended last week pending an investigation after testing positive for a banned substance.

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Terzi Takes Action in Turkey

The Turkish Athletics Federation has given two-year suspensions to 31 athletes for drug offences, including Olympic medallist Esref Apak.

Hammer thrower Apak, who won silver in Athens in 2004, was one of three athletes listed who competed at the 2012 London Olympics.

Turkey's doping problems threaten to affect Istanbul's bid to host the 2020 Olympics.

International Olympic Committee members will choose a winner on 7 September.

Worse could follow for the sport in Turkey when TAF completes its investigations into alleged doping by Asli Cakir Alptekin, thewomen's 1,500-metre gold medallist at the 2012 Olympics, and two other female team members in London last year.

The bans were expected after the International Association of Athletics Federations carried out tests before and during the Mediterranean Games in the Turkish city of Mersin in June.

Apak was one of eight athletes who tested positive following the European Team Championships in Gateshead the same month.

Last week, TAF chairman Mehmet Terzi resigned from the post he had held for nine years in the face of doping allegations directed at Turkish sportsmen and women.

"The athletes were found to be in violation of Turkey's strict anti-doping laws following testing undertaken by the Turkish anti-doping authority (TADA)," Ugur Erderner, president of Turkey's National Olympic Committee and a member of the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) executive board, said in a statement.

"This work is part of a concerted, and much more aggressive, anti-doping policy in Turkey that has been in place for over six months and will be further reinforced with the re-accreditation of the Wada-licensed anti-doping laboratory in Ankara later this year."

The TAF listed the names of the suspended athletes on its website, without giving details of their offences.

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Gule Gule for Turkish Euro Dream

Croatia secured their qualification for UEFA EURO 2012 after a goalless draw against Turkey eased Slaven Bilić's side through following their dominant performance in Istanbul on Friday.

The home side were mostly comfortable in Zagreb against visitors who rarely threatened to haul back the three-goal deficit from the first leg. Aside from a blocked Colin Kazım Richards shot before the break, and a second-half effort from Hamit Altıntop which clipped a post, Croatia always looked the more likely to score and can now look forward to their fourth finals in five attempts.

With Croatia taking such a healthy cushion into the game, coach Bilić's pre-match warnings against complacency looked well-placed as a revamped Turkey side, featuring just three survivors from Friday's game, wasted no time in seeking an opener. Just five minutes in, Selçuk İnan's long-distance strike rebounded back off a post to Kazım Richards, whose reflex shot was parried to safety by Stipe Pletikosa.

Croatia looked rattled from the early scare as Guus Hiddink's team urgently probed for a breakthrough but gradually the home side settled. Ivica Olić chipped just over on 17 minutes, while Gordon Schildenfeld nodded narrowly wide. Approaching the break, the industrious Olić teed up openings first for Mario Mandžukić and then Darijo Srna, both firing wide when well placed.

With time against them, Turkey desperately needed a goal and almost managed one just after the hour. Substitute Gökhan Töre's crossfield pass found Kazım Richards on the right who squared for Hamit Altıntop to fire a low effort which shaved the right post on its way wide.

The near miss only served to rouse Croatia who had been comfortably containing the visitors without committing men forward. A fierce drive on 68 minutes by Ivan Rakitić was tipped round a post by Sinan Bolat, then the Sevilla FC midfielder went even closer with a quarter-hour left.

Surging towards goal, he swapped passes with Mandžukić but saw his point-blank effort thwarted again by Sinat. It mattered little, though, as Croatia saw out time to claim their Poland and Ukraine ticket.

Modric Counsels Caution in Zagreb

Luka Modrić is counselling his Croatia team-mates against complacency ahead of their play-off decider at home against Turkey on Tuesday, despite holding a 3-0 lead following their remarkable first-leg triumph in Istanbul.

Turkey coach Guus Hiddink had promised "a very hard night for Croatia" on Friday, but his words began to lose their power inside the first two minutes as Ivica Olić found the net. Mario Mandžukić doubled the deficit before the break and Vedran Ćorluka headed in Croatia's third shortly after half-time to stun the 50,000-strong home crowd and leave the visitors on the verge of a place at UEFA EURO 2012.

"We've only done half our job," warned Modrić. "We really need to rest a bit in the next few days and prepare well for the second match. The most important thing is that we stay focused now. We can't relax, even a little bit. It could be very dangerous."

The Tottenham Hotspur FC midfielder is no doubt mindful of the memorable quarter-final between the two sides at UEFA EURO 2008, when Croatia thought they had sealed a spot in the last four after Ivan Klasnić opened the scoring with a minute of extra time remaining. Turkey still found time to level, however, and Modrić was one of three Croatia players to miss from the spot as their rivals went through.

Unable to qualify for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, there had been a sense that Croatia never properly recovered from that defeat, but Modrić believes they are now returning to their proper level. "The last time we played as well as that was [our 2-1 win] against Germany at EURO 2008," he said. "That's a fact and we shouldn't run away from it. We're back and we played like a great team again, in every position. We need to repeat that in Zagreb and seal our spot at the EURO, where we belong."

Slaven Bilić's men can expect vociferous backing at the Stadion Maksimir after a clamour for tickets in the wake of Friday's result, but the coach himself is also sounding a cautious note. "Don't be fooled: it won't be just a friendly match," he said, while refusing to reveal who he will field in place of suspended duo Ćorluka and Tomislav Dujmović.

Turkey face more pressing selection issues as Emre Belözoğlu, Hakan Balta, Sabri Sarıoğlu and Arda Turan will all be missing after incurring bans in the first leg. "I expect the players who take their place to play for their honour, for themselves, for their country," commented Hiddink, despite the sense of wariness in the opposition camp. "Let's face facts – it's difficult, almost impossible, to qualify."

The Dutch coach wants his side to above all restore lost pride and is urging his fringe players to show their worth. "Some will get opportunities to play themselves into the team because some young, new players will knock on the door to play," he said.

Under contract until next summer, Hiddink nonetheless feels that Bilić has been fortunate enough to call upon more hardened talents for this tie, saying: "Teams such as Trabzonspor play Champions League football and Beşiktaş play in the Europa League, but in between those games they are hardly challenged. Most of the Croatian players play in strong leagues outside of their home country, having to perform at their maximum every week."