Judo
Olympics 2024: Iraqi Judoka tests positive for anabolic steroids
Iraqi judoka Sajjad Sehen faces suspension after testing positive for steroids, risking a four-year ban.
Iraqi judoka Sajjad Sehen tests positive for steroids at the Paris Olympics, making it the first positive doping case of the Games. (Photo credit: Iraq Football)
In a significant blow to the spirit of fair play at the Paris Olympics, Iraqi judoka Sajjad Sehen has tested positive for two anabolic steroids, metandienone and boldenone, as announced by the International Testing Agency (ITA) on Friday.
This marks the first doping case of the ongoing Summer Games, reported just hours before the opening ceremony.
The 28-year-old first-time Olympian provided her sample on Tuesday.
Scheduled to compete on July 30 in the men’s 81kg category, Sehen is now provisionally suspended pending the outcome of a disciplinary case.
This suspension prevents him from participating in the Olympics, including competing and training.
The ITA, responsible for maintaining the integrity anti-doping programme of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) during the Olympics, said, “This means that the athlete is prevented from competing, training, coaching, or participating in any activity during the Olympic Games.”
Sehen was set to face an opponent from Uzbekistan in the round of 32. He has the right to request testing of a B sample. If the second sample also returns positive, Sehen could face a suspension of up to four years.
The ITA's anti-doping efforts are a continuation of rigorous testing programmes from past Olympics, such as Tokyo 2021, where six athletes were caught doping from 6,200 samples tested.
This case highlights the ongoing challenge of maintaining integrity in competitive sports for IOC.
