Several athletes participating in the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou have been notified by the world athletic anti-doping body for alleged failures in their drug tests.
According to the International Testing Agency (ITA), they found Uzbek cyclist Aleksei Fomovsky, Filipino mountain biker Ariana Dormitorio Evangelista, and Turkmen Kurash athlete Tejen Tejenov failing their respective doping tests in a span of 24 hours.
Evangelista and Fomovsky were notified Wednesday (October 4) while Tejenov's results were delivered Thursday (October 5). All three are provisionally suspended from competing in their respective sports.
The three athletes were not the only ones who were provisionally suspended for doping.
Afghan boxer Mohammad Khaibar Nooristani and Saudi Arabian runner Yousef Mohammed Alasiri were found positive for doping as well.
The sample collection authority that processed the results was the China Anti-Doping Agency, the ITA added.
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Short Profile of Athletes in Question
Evangelista's blood and urine samples have returned "adverse analytical findings" for the non-specified prohibited substance erythropoietin (EPO). While she has not yet provided any comment to local media, the Philippine Cycling Federation (PhilCycling) immediately released a statement saying that they would extend "all the support necessary" to deal with her doping allegations.
"PhilCycling, like all national federations under the wings of the Philippine Olympic Committee, will always be in support of its athletes and on the same level promote with vigor fair play in our sport at all times while condemning the use of illegal substances/doping," the national cycling body was quoted by The Manila Times.
Fomovsky, who finished fifth in the men's cycling track omnium-points race on September 28, failed a drug test for anabolic steroids.
Meanwhile, Tejenov's samples have returned positive for dehydrochloromethyl-testosterone metabolite and methasterone metabolites. He previously won the silver medal at the men's +90 kg category, making him the first medalist to have been reported by the ITA as failing a drug test, as per Mediacorp.
All of the substances are prohibited by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), the ITA explained.
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