Zimbabwean Para-athlete Clement Nyoni gets two-year ban for anti-doping rule violation

Harare (Zimbabwe): The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) has banned Para-athlete Clement Nyoni from Zimbabwe for a period of two years for committing an anti-doping rule violation (ADRV), in breach of the IPC Anti-Doping Code. The Zimbabwean athlete returned an adverse analytical finding (AAF) for a prohibited substance in a urine sample provided in-competition on April 28, 2024, during the men’s 400 m T46 event at the Marrakech 2024 World Para Athletics Grand Prix. The substance was prednisolone/prednisone, which is included in the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) 2024 Prohibited List under the class S9 Glucocorticoids, the IPC informed in a release on Tuesday. The athlete was provisionally suspended by the IPC on July 31, 2024, pending a resolution of his case. The athlete subsequently accepted the commission of the ADRV and the consequences proposed by the IPC. As a result of his violation, the athlete will be ineligible for competition and other sporting activities (other than authorised anti-doping education or rehabilitation programs) for two years from July 31, 2024, until July 30, 2026. The results obtained by the athlete in the men’s 400m T46 competition at the Marrakech 2024 World Para Athletics Grand Prix are disqualified, with all resulting consequences, including forfeiture of any medals, points, and prizes. All other results obtained by the athlete from the date the sample was collected until the commencement of the provisional suspension are also disqualified, with all resulting consequences, including forfeiture of any medals, points, and prizes. Each athlete is strictly liable for the substances found in their sample. An ADRV occurs whenever a prohibited substance (or its metabolites or markers) is found in their bodily sample, 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 has established the IPC Anti-Doping Code in compliance with the general principles of the WADC, including the WADC International Standards, expecting that, in the spirit of sport, it will lead the fight against doping in sport for athletes with an impairment. –IANS