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'Disaster': Great Britain team rocked by Olympic doping controversy

Andrew Reid
·4-min read
Pictured here, Great Britain sprinter CJ Ujah at the Olympic Games.
Great Britain sprinter CJ Ujah has tested positive for banned substances at the Olympic Games. Pic: Getty

Great Britain's memorable track medal in the men's 4x100m relay at the Tokyo Games is in danger of being stripped after one of its athletes tested positive for banned substances.

Britain's Olympic 4x100m relay silver medallist Chijindu 'CJ' Ujah has been provisionally suspended for allegedly breaching anti-doping rules at the Games, the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) reported.

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The AIU said in a statement on Thursday that it had been notified by the doping control laboratory in Tokyo after the Games that Ujah had returned an Adverse Analytical Finding (AAF) from a test carried out during the Olympics.

It listed the prohibited substances detected as Ostarine and S-23, both classified by world anti-doping organisation WADA as a selective androgen receptor modulator (SARM) with effects similar to anabolic steroids.

The illegal substances are banned because they help build muscles.

Ujah reacted to the news with an Instagram post of himself that read: “Stay focused … Because truth is madder than fiction.”

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A post shared by UnstoppableUjah (@cj_ujah)

Ujah can request analysis of the B-sample which is kept in storage while the A-sample is analysed.

If that also results in a positive test for doping, the case will be referred to the Anti-Doping Division of the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

If Ujah is proven guilty, it could be heartbreaking for the other three members of Britain's silver medal-winning relay team.

Seen here, the Great Britain 4x100m men's relay team that won silver at the Olympics.
The other members of Great Britain's silver medal-winning relay team could have their medals stripped if CJ Ujah is proven guilty. Pic: Getty

Ujah's relay teammates were Zharnel Hughes, Richard Kilty and Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake, whose medals will also be at risk of being stripped if the positive is confirmed.

English sports journalist Martyn Ziegler tweeted: “It’s a disaster for his relay team-mates — they face being stripped of their medals too.”

The doing controversy has left fans shocked on social media.

Three other athletes in alleged doping breach

Three other track and field athletes who were suspended during the Games - Moroccan-born Bahraini 1,500m runner Sadik Mikhou, Georgian shot putter Benik Abramyan and Kenyan sprinter Mark Otieno Odhiambo - were also listed.

The AIU said it had worked closely with the International Testing Agency during the Games and provided the intelligence to carry out specific target testing on two of the four athletes, without specifying which.

"The AIU now awaits the conclusion of the ITA proceedings against the above athletes, which will determine whether any anti-doping rule violations have been committed and what consequences (if any) should be imposed in relation to the Olympic Games," it added.

It added that it had been notified of another AAF for Odhiambo in a sample collected in South Africa on June 24, before the Games started.

The Anti-Doping Agency of Kenya (ADAK) has handed over the case management responsibility to the AIU.

Odhiambo, a 100m sprinter, was suspended before the qualifying heats in Tokyo.

Mikhou was suspended for receiving a blood transfusion during the Games.

Abramyan failed an out of competition dope test for steroids in Tokyo.

with agencies

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