Tokyo Olympics: Marathon runner El Abbassi suspended for suspected blood doping

The 37-year-old's sample was collected after the Olympic marathon in Sapporo on August 8 where he finished 25th with a time of 2:15:56 in a race won by Kenyan great Eliud Kipchoge.

El Abbassi won gold in the 10,000 metres at the 2014 Asian Games in Incheon, South Korea and a silver medal in the marathon four years later in Jakarta, Indonesia.

Bahraini marathon runner El Hassan El Abbassi has been provisionally suspended after returning an adverse analytical finding for a homologous blood transfusion following a test at the Tokyo Olympics, the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) said.

The 37-year-old's sample was collected after the Olympic marathon in Sapporo on August 8 where he finished 25th with a time of 2:15:56 in a race won by Kenyan great Eliud Kipchoge.

Homologous blood transfusions involve someone collecting and infusing the blood of a compatible donor while autologous blood transfusions use a person's own blood that has been stored.

 

The International Testing Agency (ITA), in charge of drugs testing during the Games, reported the results of the test on August 15 and said that the athlete had the right to have his 'B' sample examined.

Bahrain's 1,500m runner Alsadik Mikhou was provisionally suspended for receiving a blood transfusion during the Games.

El Abbassi won gold in the 10,000 metres at the 2014 Asian Games in Incheon, South Korea and a silver medal in the marathon four years later in Jakarta, Indonesia.