Chijindu Ujah, an Olympic silver medalist, has been suspended following a positive drug test.
Three more track and field competitors — Moroccan-born Bahraini 1,500m runner Sadik Mikhou, Georgian shot putter Benik Abramyan, and Kenyan sprinter Mark Otieno Odhiambo — were also named as being suspended during the Games.
Chijindu Ujah Suspended After Doping Test
The Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) announced on Thursday that Britain’s Olympic 4x100m relay silver medalist Chijindu Ujah has been provisionally suspended for allegedly breaking anti-doping regulations at the Tokyo Games.
Three more track and field competitors — Moroccan-born Bahraini 1,500m runner Sadik Mikhou, Georgian shot putter Benik Abramyan, and Kenyan sprinter Mark Otieno Odhiambo — were also named as being suspended during the Games.
The AIU said in a statement that it was informed after the Games by the doping control laboratory in Tokyo that Ujah had returned an Adverse Analytical Finding (AAF) from a test conducted during the Olympics.
It identified the forbidden chemicals as Ostarine and S-23, both of which are categorised as selective androgen receptor modulators (SARMs) with anabolic steroid-like effects by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).
Zharnel Hughes, Richard Kilty, and Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake were Ujah’s relay teammates, and their medals are also in jeopardy if the test is verified.
During the Games, the AIU said it worked closely with the International Testing Agency and provided intelligence to conduct particular target testing on two of the four athletes, but did not specify which two.
“The AIU now awaits the outcome of the ITA procedures against the above athletes, which will establish whether any anti-doping rule violations have occurred and, if so, what sanctions (if any) should be applied in relation to the Olympic Games,” it added.
It further stated that another AAF for Odhiambo had been discovered in a sample obtained in South Africa on June 24, just before the Games began.
The AIU has taken over case management duties from the Kenyan Anti-Doping Agency (ADAK).
Before the qualifying heats in Tokyo, Odhiambo, a 100m sprinter, was suspended.
Mikhou was barred from competing in the Games after obtaining a blood transfusion.
In Tokyo, Abramyan failed an out-of-competition steroid test.
