World 5,000m Star Mohamed Katir Faces Four-Year Ban For Doping Tampering
World 5,000 meters silver medalist Mohamed Katir has been banned for four years by the Disciplinary Tribunal for tampering with a whereabouts failure on Friday.
Mohamed Katir Banned for Four Years Over Tampering Incident
The 26-year-old Spanish middle-distance runner, currently serving a two-year ban until February 6, 2026, for three whereabouts failures in a 12-month period, has been banned again under Rule 2.5 of the Anti-Doping Rules. This rule relates to tampering or attempting to tamper with any part of doping control. The sanction follows a charge brought by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) on June 12, 2024.
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The four-year ban will run alongside the current sanction for whereabouts failures, extending Katir’s ban from the sport until February 2028.
Mohamed Katir, who also won a world 1,500-meter bronze, was found to have falsified travel documents, including a travel itinerary, boarding pass, and booking confirmation, in an attempt to mislead investigators. This was in relation to a whereabouts failure that occurred on February 28, 2023.
The AIU’s disciplinary tribunal said: “There can be no doubt that Katir put forward a false version of events and altered documents. He did so in order to persuade World Athletics that his whereabouts failure on February 28, 2023 should not be treated as such.”
“In those circumstances, it is obvious that Katir committed an anti-doping rules violation by tampering/attempted tampering.”
Katir’s other two whereabouts failures happened on April 3 and October 10, 2023. His results since October 10 have already been disqualified.
“Gone are the days in athletics when explanations offered in anti-doping cases are just accepted at face value,” AIU head Brett Clothier said. “Thanks to strong investment in investigations, since its inception in 2017, the AIU has prosecuted 25 Tampering cases.
“The vast majority of our elite athletes respect the strict rules and processes of the sport and they should take heart at the action being taken to ensure a level playing field.”
Katir has not only won three major track medals but also holds the European records for the 3000m indoor and 5000m, with times of 7:27.64 and 12:45.01, respectively.
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