Afghanistan boxer Mohammad Khaibar Nooristani has been provisionally suspended at the Asian Games in Hangzhou after failing an anti-doping test this week, the International Testing Agency (ITA) announced.
Nooristan is the first athlete at the Games to be announced as having failed a drugs test.
ITA said in a statement that the 37-year-old, who had been set to compete in the men’s under 71 kg category, has been informed of the case and provisionally suspended.
ITA said that tests returned an adverse analytical finding for prohibited substances “19-norandrosterone and clostebol metabolite 4-chloro-3α-hydroxy-androst-4-en-17-one”. Both substances are anabolic steroids.
“The sample was collected by the ITA at the Asian Games Hangzhou 2022 during an out-of-competition anti-doping control performed on 21 September 2023,” the statement read adding that the matter has been referred to the Anti-Doping Division of the Court of Arbitration for Sport for adjudication under the OCA Anti-Doping Rules.
