An Afghan judoka, Mohammad Samim Faizad, has been disqualified from the Paris Olympics after testing positive for a banned substance. The International Testing Agency announced on Saturday that Faizad’s sample, taken during his opening bout, revealed the presence of stanozolol, an anabolic steroid. This marks the third failed drug test at the Paris Games.
Faizad, who turned 22 during the Olympics, lost his only bout in the men’s 81-kilogram class to Wachid Borchashvili of Austria on Tuesday. He was the sole athlete representing Afghanistan on their team of three men and three women participating in the Games.
The anabolic steroid stanozolol is infamous for being the substance that sprinter Ben Johnson tested positive for at the 1988 Seoul Olympics, leading to his disqualification and the stripping of his gold medal.
Faizad’s positive test adds to the growing list of doping violations at the Paris Olympics, highlighting the ongoing challenge of maintaining a level playing field for athletes. The incident also raises questions about the effectiveness of anti-doping efforts in the sport of judo.
