Syrian Olympic hurdler disqualified for doping
Twenty-three-year-old Ghfran Almouhamad tests positive for methylhexaneamine; stripped of Olympic accreditation
LONDON – The IOC says a female Syrian hurdler has been kicked out of the London Olympics for doping.
The IOC said Saturday that 400-meter hurdler Ghfran Almouhamad tested positive for the banned stimulant methylhexaneamine on Aug. 3. The backup "B" sample confirmed the positive finding.
The 23-year-old athlete finished eighth and last in her first-round heat on Aug. 5.
The IOC said she has been disqualified and stripped of her Olympic accreditation.
The IOC sent her case to the IAAF to officially change the results and consider any further action against the athlete.
Almouhamad was one of 10 Syrian athletes, six men and four women, registered to compete in seven different sports in London. The Syrians came to the Olympics despite the escalating violence in their homeland.
Protests against President Bashar Assad's regime began in March 2011 and became a civil war which activists say has killed at least 20,000 people.
The head of the Syrian Olympic Committee, Gen. Mowaffak Joumaa, was denied a visa to come to London by British authorities.
Almouhamad is the seventh positive case reported by the IOC since the Olympic body started its games testing program on July 16. She is only the second athlete who competed in London that has been sanctioned for doping. The others were caught before competing.
Last week, a dozen people opposed to the Syrian government have protested the presence at the Olympics of equestrian rider Ahmad Saber Hamsho.
The rider's father is under US and EU sanctions for supporting the regime of President Bashar Assad.
Syria's civil war has intensified in recent weeks as rebels focused on the country's two biggest cities, Damascus and Aleppo.
