HANGZHOU, Oct. 3 (Xinhua) — The Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) has temporarily suspended Mohammed Yousef Al-Asiri, a long-distance runner from Saudi Arabia, from participating further in the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, China.
“Yousef Al-Asiri, who was scheduled to compete in the men’s 10,000 meters and men’s 5,000m races, has tested positive for the banned substance darbepoetin (dEPO),” said the OCA on Tuesday.
During an out-of-competition anti-doping control conducted on September 26 by the International Testing Agency (ITA) at the Hangzhou Asian Games, the Saudi athlete provided a sample.
“The athlete has been notified of the case and has been provisionally suspended immediately. He has the right to request the analysis of the B-sample,” added the OCA.
According to the OCA’s anti-doping rules, the case will be referred to the Anti-Doping Division of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS ADD) for arbitration.
Yousef Al-Asiri, aged 34, did not participate in the men’s 10,000m final on September 30. He was also scheduled to compete in the men’s 5,000m final on Wednesday, October 4.
Credit: The Star : News Feed
