ATHENS, Sept 6 (Reuters) - The International Olympic Committee would not comment on potential doping offences by two Belarussian hammer throwers who won silver and bronze at the Beijing Olympics last month, an official said on Saturday.

Vadim Devyatovskiy took silver with a best throw of 81.61 and his compatriot, world champion Ivan Tsikhan, won bronze with a throw of 81.51. Primoz Kozmus of Slovenia won the gold medal.

"When any doping investigation is ongoing it is not the policy to discuss them," an IOC official told Reuters.

"This one cannot be confirmed or denied," the official said a day after the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), the sport's governing body, said the two athletes had tested positive for drugs in Beijing.

Since the tests were conducted under the auspices of the IOC during the Games the two now risk having their medals stripped if indeed the IOC confirms the positive tests. They could also miss the 2012 London Games under a new rule.

The IAAF had said on Friday the two Belarussian athletes would be suspended after the IOC's ruling. First-time doping offences usually carry a two-year suspension.

They would also bring the total number of positive drugs cases in Beijing up to eight.

Other hammer throwers would also likely be upgraded.

Devyatovskiy's silver could go to fourth-placed Krisztian Pars of Hungary, while Tsikhan's bronze may be awarded to Koji Murofushi of Japan who finished fifth. (Writing by Karolos Grohmann, Editing by Ken Ferris)

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