Tag Archives: ITA

Athletics, Doping

Doctor banned for Life for doping violations

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A Moldovan doctor has been given a life ban from sport after being found guilty of arranging for lookalikes to give drug testing samples under the names of real weightlifters heading for the world championships.

The International Testing Agency (ITA) said on Thursday that Dr. Dorin Balmus represented three Moldovan athletes in 2015 when they were asked to provide samples shortly before competing at the world championships in Houston.

The ITA said three lookalikes took on the identities of the weightlifters because they were “each undergoing a doping cycle at the time” and risked testing positive. All three were able to compete at the world championships but later received drug-related bans.

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) welcomed the decision by the ITA to sanction the Doctor for a range of Anti-Doping Rule Violations related to tampering with the anti-doping process in the sport of weightlifting.

In a television documentary, aired by German broadcaster ARD in January 2020, Dr. Balmus was recorded admitting that he had used surrogates, or “doppelgängers”, during sample collections of a number of Moldovan Weightlifting Federation athletes.

This substitution of urine samples was confirmed by further ITA enquiry, prompted by an investigation known as ‘Operation Arrow’ that had been initiated by WADA’s independent Intelligence and Investigations (I&I) Department in October 2019. ‘Operation Arrow’ is part of a wider WADA I&I investigation into weightlifting that began in August 2017.

Athletics

Britain to lose Tokyo 2020 relay silver medal after CJ Ujah positive test confirmed

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Great Britain will be stripped of their Tokyo 2020 men’s 4×100 metres relay silver medal after CJ Ujah’s B sample confirmed his positive test.

The International Testing Agency (ITA) announced last month that Ujah had tested positive for two prohibited substances.

According to the AIU, Ujah, who is the British champion over 100m, tested positive for ostarine and S-23, both of which are listed as prohibited substances by the World Anti-Doping Agency.

Ujah requested a B-sample analysis be carried out, which the ITA says has confirmed the initial test results.

The case will now be referred to the Court of Arbitration for Sport Anti-Doping Division on 8 September 2021..

“The ITA confirms that as per the athlete’s request, the B-sample analysis was carried out by the WADA-accredited laboratory of Tokyo on 19 August 2021 and the procedure confirmed the result of the A-sample,” an ITA statement read.

“The Cas ADD will consider the matter of the finding of an Anti-Doping Rule Violation [ADRV] and the disqualification of the men’s 4 x 100 relay results of the British team”.

Ujah, along with Kilty, Hughes and Mitchell-Blake, only narrowly missed out on winning gold in Tokyo.

The quartet were leading going into the final 100m but unable to hold off the Italian challenge as anchor runner Mitchell-Blake was headed on the line by Filippo Tortu.

Team GB missed out on gold by just a hundredth of a second.

Athletics, Doping

Shock as another Bahrain suspended for doping Violation

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Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) has provisionally suspended Bahraini marathon runner El Hassan El Abbassi after returning an adverse analytical finding for a homologous blood transfusion following a test at the Tokyo 2020.

The 37-year-old’s sample was collected after the Olympic marathon in Sapporo on 8th August where he finished 25th with a time of 2:15.56 in a race won Eliud Kipchoge.

Homologous blood transfusions involve someone collecting and infusing the blood of a compatible donor while autologous blood transfusions use a person’s own blood that has been stored.

The International Testing Agency (ITA), in charge of drugs testing during the Games, reported the results of the test on Aug. 15 and said that the athlete had the right to have his ‘B’ sample examined.

ITA had also suspended another Bahrainian middle distance runner Alsadik Mikhou for receiving a blood transfusion during the Tokyo Olympic Games.

El Abbassi won gold in the 10,000 metres at the 2014 Asian Games in Incheon, South Korea and a silver medal in the marathon four years later at Jakarta, Indonesia.

Nigerian sprinter Blessing Okagbare and Kenyan 100m runner Mark Otieno Odhiambo were both previously suspended for drug violations.

Athletics, Doping

Great Britain could lose Tokyo Olympics silver medal after CJ Doping suspension

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British sprinter CJ Ujah has been suspended after testing positive for a banned substance – and it could mean bad news for Team Great Britain.

Ujah, 27, was the lead-off runner in Team GB men’s 4x100m relay team who won silver at Tokyo 2020 Olympics earlier this month.

He has been provisionally suspended from competition, Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) said.

According to the AIU, Ujah, who is the British champion over 100m, tested positive for ostarine and S-23, both of which are listed as prohibited substances by the World Anti-Doping Agency.

The sprinter’s positive test could also mean bad news for his Team GB team-mates

World Athletics Anti-Doping rules state that where an athlete who has committed an ADRV ran as member of a relay team: “The relay team shall be automatically disqualified from the event in question, with all resulting consequences for the relay team, including the forfeiture of all titles, awards, medals, points and prize and appearance money.”

If proven, Team GB men’s entire 4x100m relay team, consisting of Ujah, Richard Kilty, Zharnel Hughes and Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake, would be stripped of their silver medals.

However, all hope is not lost for Ujah, who has yet to comment on the findings.

He can still request analysis of the B-sample – kept for storage while the A-sample is analysed.

Should that confirm an Adverse Analytic Finding, his case will be referred to the Anti-Doping Division of the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

The International Testing Agency (ITA) said: “The Cas ADD will consider the matter of the finding of an Anti-Doping Rule Violation [ADRV] and the disqualification of the men’s 4 x 100 relay results of the British team”.

Ujah, along with Kilty, Hughes and Mitchell-Blake, only narrowly missed out on winning gold in Tokyo.

The quartet were leading going into the final 100m but unable to hold off the Italian challenge as anchor runner Mitchell-Blake was headed on the line by Filippo Tortu.

Team GB missed out on gold by just a hundredth of a second.

Athletics, Doping

AIU begins Doping displinary action on Mark Otieno

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The Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) has began disciplinary disciplinary proceedings against four athletes asserted to have breached anti-doping rules.

Kenya’s Mark Otieno Odhiambo, the 100m sprinter, who tested positive for a banned substance is among those being probed and suspended for the entire period of disciplinary proceedings.

“The International Testing Agency (ITA) has suspended Otieno while at the Olympics and was not allowed to take part in Olympic qualifying trials in regard to an adverse analytical finding on a urine sample he provided on 28 July 2021,” said Waithaka Kioni, Team Kenya’s head of delegation.

The 28 year-old, however, denied any knowledge of the violation and has subsequently requested a re-analysis of his B urine sample.

Odhiambo, who has a personal best of 10.05 seconds, finished second at the national trials last month.

Others who have been suspended and disolinary action being taken are Sadik Mikhou from Bahrain, Georgian record shot putter Benik Abramyan and British Olympic silver medallist Chijindu Ujah.

Athletics, Doping

Alsadik Mikhou Provisionally Suspended for Blood Doping during Tokyo games

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International Testing Agency (ITA) has provisionally suspended Bahrain middle distance runner Alsadik Mikhou for receiving a blood transfusion during the Tokyo Olympic Games.

The Moroccan-born athlete competed in the men’s 1,500m heats last Tuesday, but failed to advance as he finished eighth in a time of 3:42.87.

The 21 year-old is the third athlete to fail a doping test at Tokyo 2020. Nigerian sprinter Blessing Okagbare and Kenyan 100m runner Mark Otieno Odhiambo were both previously suspended for drug violations.

Athletics

Mark Otieno tests positive

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Kenya’s Mark Otieno Odhiambo, a 100m sprinter, has tested positive for a banned substance and will not take part in the Olympic qualifying heats on Saturday.

“We have received communication this afternoon from International Testing Agency (ITA) regarding one of our sprinters who has had an adverse analytical finding on a urine sample he provided on 28 July 2021,” said Waithaka Kioni, Team Kenya’s head of delegation.

“He has, however, denied any knowledge of the violation and has subsequently requested a re-analysis of his B urine sample,” Kioni said.

Odhiambo, who has a personal best of 10.05 seconds, finished second at the national trials last month.