Refugee athlete who was aiming for Paris Olympics gets 3-year doping ban

MONACO (AP) — A refugee athlete on an International Olympic Committee scholarship to prepare for next year’s Paris Games has been given a three-year doping ban after he admitted using the banned substance EPO, the Athletics Integrity Unit said on Wednesday.

Fouad Idbafdil gave a sample in August that later came back positive and admitted using EPO, which can boost the blood’s ability to transport oxygen, while preparing for the world championships in Budapest, the AIU ruling said. The 35-year-old runner was eliminated in the heats of the 3,000-meter steeplechase at the championships.

The IOC said last December that Idbafdil was among more than 50 refugee athletes getting financial help in their host countries to prepare for Paris. The IOC said Idbafdil is originally from Morocco.

The Refugee Olympic Team debuted at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games and a team of 29 athletes went to the Tokyo Games held in 2021.

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Olympic Hightlights

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FILE - South Africa’s Jacques Freitag competes in the men’s high jump of the 2004 Olympic Games, in the Olympic Stadium in Athens, Friday Aug. 20, 2004. Local media is reporting that South African police have discovered the body of former high jump world champion Jacques Freitag after he went missing last month. The reports said the 42-year-old, who won the 2003 world title in Paris and competed at the 2004 Olympics, had been shot. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip, File)

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FILE - Jacques Freitag of South Africa waves his national flag after he won the Men’s high jump event at the World Athletics Championships, at the Stade de France in Saint Denis, north of Paris, Monday, Aug. 25, 2003. Local media is reporting that South African police have discovered the body of former high jump world champion Jacques Freitag after he went missing last month. The reports said the 42-year-old, who won the 2003 world title in Paris and competed at the 2004 Olympics, had been shot. (AP Photo/Thomas Kienzle, File)

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