Mo Katir has been issued a four-year ban by the Athletics Integrity Unit on Friday following a investigation that revealed he committed three whereabouts violations in 2023.
Based on the findings, Katir, who was already handed a two-year ban in February for missing drug tests, admitted to all of the whereabouts infractions. Based on the World Anti-Doping Agency’s whereabouts guidelines, all athletes are required to make themselves available for testers for one hour during any out-of-competiton period.
“Gone are the days in athletics when explanations offered in anti-doping cases are just accepted at face value. Thanks to strong investment in investigations, since its inception in 2017, the AIU has prosecuted 25 tampering cases,” AIU head Brett Clothier said in a statement. “The vast majority of our elite athletes respect the strict rules and processes of the sport and they should take heart at the action being taken to ensure a level playing field.”
Meanwhile, the probe also found that Katir, 26, had falsified travel documentation, including a travel Itinerary, boarding pass and booking confirmation in an attempt to mislead the investigation.
Katir’s latest ban will now run concurrently with his two-year whereabouts ban from February and he will be restricted from competition until February 2028, but be eligible for the Los Angeles Olympic Games later that year. Still, he will miss the next two world championships in Tokyo and Beijing along with numerous other competitors.
He competed for Spain in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in the men’s 5,000m final and finish eight. But he won the silver at the 2023 World Championships in Budapest.
The AIU requested for Katir’s results March 2023 and beyond to to be disqualified, but that was rejected by the disciplinary committed since the timing of his whereabouts violation did not prove that he was allowed any competitive advantages or impacted the results in those events.
