A refugee athlete on an International Olympic Committee scholarship to prepare for next year’s Paris Games has been given a three-year doping ban after he admitted using the banned substance EPO, the Athletics Integrity Unit said on Wednesday.
Fouad Idbafdil gave a sample in August that later came back positive and admitted using EPO, which can boost the blood’s ability to transport oxygen, while preparing for the world championships in Budapest, the AIU ruling said. The 35-year-old runner was eliminated in the heats of the 3,000-meter steeplechase at the championships.
The IOC said last December that Idbafdil was among more than 50 refugee athletes getting financial help in their host countries to prepare for Paris. The IOC said Idbafdil is originally from Morocco.
The Refugee Olympic Team debuted at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games and a team of 29 athletes went to the Tokyo Games held in 2021.
