The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) has banned Para athletics athlete Sajad Mohammadian of Iran for a period of three years for committing an anti-doping rule violation (ADRV), in breach of the IPC Anti-Doping Code.
The Iranian athlete returned an adverse analytical finding (AAF) for a prohibited substance in a urine sample provided out-of-competition on 10 October 2023.
The prohibited substance was methasterone and its metabolite. Methasterone is included on the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) 2023 Prohibited List under the class S1.1 Anabolic Androgenic Steroids. It is a non-Specified Substance for the purpose of the Code, prohibited at all times.
The athlete was provisionally suspended by the IPC on 1 December 2023 pending a resolution of his case.
The athlete subsequently admitted his 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 programmes) for three years from 1 December 2023 until 30 November 2026.
All results obtained by the athlete from the date the sample was collected (10 October 2023) until the commencement of the provisional suspension (1 December 2023) are also disqualified, with all resulting consequences, including forfeiture of any medals, points and prizes.
The ADRV was the second ADRV committed by the athlete in his career. The athlete was previously found to have committed an ADRV (relating to the presence and use of Methadone, which is classified as a Specified Substance), pursuant to a decision of an Iran NADO hearing panel in 2021.
However, the hearing panel in that previous case determined that the athlete bore No Significant Fault or Negligence for the previous ADRV. As such, this second ADRV was not considered a ‘multiple violation’ for the purposes of the Code, warranting a longer period of ineligibility.
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 (the 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.
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