Azimi Asadollah suspended for anti-doping violation

The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) has suspended Iranian Para athlete Azimi Asadollah for nine months for committing an anti-doping violation.

The Rio 2016 Paralympian who competes in the F53 class in athletics returned an adverse analytical finding for hydrochlorothiazide in a urine sample provided on 17 August 2019 in an out of competition test in Tehran, Iran.  This substance is included on the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) 2019 Prohibited List under the category S5. Diuretics and Masking Agents.

As a result of his violation, Asadollah will be ineligible for competition for nine months from 17 August 2019 to 17 May 2020. All his results obtained from 17 August 2019 and onwards will be disqualified including forfeiture of any medals, points, records and prizes.

The IPC would like to remind all athletes the principle of strict liability applies to anti-doping matters and that any athletes who need to take a prohibited substance for medical reasons should seek a Therapeutic Use Exemption.  

Each athlete is strictly liable for the substances found in his or her sample, and that an anti-doping rule violation occurs whenever a prohibited substance (or its metabolites or markers) is found in his or her bodily specimen, whether or not the athlete intentionally or unintentionally used a prohibited substance or was negligent or otherwise at fault.

As a signatory of the World Anti-Doping Code (WADC), the IPC remains committed to a doping-free sporting environment at all levels. The IPC, together with the International Federations and the National Paralympic Committees, established the IPC Anti-Doping Code to prevent doping in sport for Paralympic athletes, in the spirit of fair play. The IPC Anti-Doping Code is in conformity with the general principles of the WADC.