Saudi Arabian powerlifter, Mashal Alkhazai, has been suspended for eight years for the second anti-doping rule violation of his career, the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) has announced in Rio.
Alkhazai, due to compete in the men’s over 107 kilograms event on Wednesday, returned an adverse analytical finding for metenolone in a urine sample provided in an out-of-competition test on September 4. The test was carried out ahead of Rio 2016.
Metenolone is included on the 2016 World Anti-Doping Agency’s Prohibited List under the category “S1. Anabolic Agents” and is prohibited at all times, both in and out of competition.
As a result of his violation, Alkhazai will be ineligible from competition for eight years from the date of the decision, until September 12, 2024.
He has had his Rio 2016 accreditation withdrawn and has left the Paralympics Village.
It follows yesterday’s announcement that Kenyan powerlifter, Gabriel Magu Wanjiku has received a reprimand after taking cough medicine that contained a prohibited substance.
Wanjiku, who competed in the men’s under 59 kilograms competition on Friday, September 9, returned an adverse analytical finding for terbutaline in a urine sample provided on July 29 after an out-of-competition test in Kenya’s capital, Nairobi.
The IPC has also confirmed today that Brazilian guide runner Felipe Veloso da Silva has received a backdated three-month suspension for an anti-doping violation committed in May.
Veloso da Silva, who acts as a guide for T11 athlete Thalita Simplicio da Silva, returned an adverse analytical finding for tamoxifen in a urine sample provided on May 21 after competing at the Caixa Loterias Athletics Open Championships here.
This substance is included on the 2016 WADA Prohibited List under the category “S4. Hormone and Metabolic Modulators” and is prohibited at all times, both in and out of competition.
As a result of his violation, Veloso da Silva was made ineligible from competition for three months from May 21 to August 21.
All results achieved by Veloso da Silva and Simplicio da Silva from the date of the test onwards have been disqualified including forfeiture of any medals, points, records and prizes.
As IPC Athletics does not consider a guide to be an official competition partner for the discipline of long jump, Simplicio da Silva’s results in the long jump competition at the Caixa Loterias Athletics Open Championships will not be affected.
