Advertisement
Bahrain were hit with Olympic sanctions following an 18-month investigation, it emerged on Thursday. Benjamin Wareing/Alamy Live News/Alamy Stock Photo

World Athletics reveals sanctions against Bahrain for 'serious anti-doping rule violations'

Bahrain were only allowed to send a maximum of 10 track and field athletes to Paris as part of an anti-doping punishment.

WORLD ATHLETICS HAS belatedly revealed that Bahrain could only send a maximum of 10 athletes to the Paris 2024 Olympic Games as a part of a punishment for ‘serious anti-doping rule violations’.

The penalties, which were made public for the first time on Thursday, are the result of an 18-month investigation by the Athletics Integrity Unit into the Bahrain Athletics Association (BAA), which led to charges in December 2023.

The AIU opened their investigation following the Tokyo Olympics where there were “serious anti-doping rule violations committed by two [Bahrain] athletes… for homologous blood transfusions”.

The BAA had also “engaged a coach to work with the national team between 2019 and 2021 who was in fact banned from sport for anti-doping rule violations”.

The BAA accepted the charges against it, as well as penalties including a 10-athlete limit at the 2024 Olympics and at the 2025 World Championships; a ban on recruiting foreign athletes or applying for transfers of allegiance until 2027; a commitment to spend up to €6.5 million ($7.3m) over four years on anti-doping measures; and the establishment and funding of an academy to prioritise the development of local athletes.

Bahrain sent eight track and field athletes to the Paris Olympics — none of whom were accused of any wrongdoing in this investigation — and won two medals: Winfred Yavi’s gold with a new Olympic record time in the women’s 3000m steeplechase, and Salwa Eid Naser’s silver in the women’s 400m. 

Separate to this investigation, Naser served a two-year suspension from 2021 to 2023 for drug-testing whereabouts violations.

The 2019 world champion returned to action last year and insists that she is a clean athlete, describing her ban as “unfair”.

“My [missed] tests were never intentional,” she told The 42 after her silver medal win in Paris.

“I would never want to miss a drug test as I really don’t have anything to hide. They were never intentional but they were mistakes a normal human being can make.

“What I think is not being fair is me being banned because I did nothing. It was never intentional. Me being banned was unfair to me but I thank God I am here today.

“What is not being fair is me being banned.” 

Author
Niall Kelly
View 4 comments
Close
4 Comments
This is YOUR comments community. Stay civil, stay constructive, stay on topic. Please familiarise yourself with our comments policy here before taking part.
Leave a Comment
    Submit a report
    Please help us understand how this comment violates our community guidelines.
    Thank you for the feedback
    Your feedback has been sent to our team for review.

    Leave a commentcancel