World Medalist Runner Mo Katir Banned For 2 Years For Breaking Anti-doping Rules – News18

MONACO: Two-time world championship medalist Mo Katir admitted breaking anti-doping rules and was banned for two years on Friday, removing the middle-distance runner from the Paris Olympics.

Track and field’s Athletics Integrity Unit detailed Katir’s three breaches last year of the “whereabouts” rule. They require athletes to specify where and when they will be available for one hour each day for a no-notice visit by sample collectors.

The 25-year-old Katir admitted the rules breaches and was banned until Feb. 6, 2026, the AIU said. He was provisionally suspended on Feb. 7.

The AIU’s ruling published on Friday showed how explanations given by Katir for why he was unavailable were later disproven by his travel documents and the evidence of his entries in the global anti-doping database.

Three missed tests or failures to file accurate details of whereabouts within a 12-month period can lead to a ban.

Katir, who was born in Morocco and runs for Spain, placed eighth in the 5,000 meters at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.

He took bronze over 1,500 meters at the 2022 worlds in Eugene, Oregon, and silver in the 5,000 at the worlds last year in Budapest, Hungary.

Katir will miss the Olympics that open in Paris on July 26 and the 2025 worlds that return to the National Stadium in Tokyo.

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AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games

(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed – Associated Press)