ATHLETICS NEWS - Kenya's former Olympic 1500 metres champion Asbel Kiprop has been handed a four-year ban for doping, the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) said on Saturday.
The 29-year-old, who also won three world championship golds, tested positive for the banned blood booster erythropoietin (EPO) in November 2017.
Kiprop had argued his urine sample, which was taken out of competition, could have been tampered with by his testers, who had tipped him off about their visit and taken a payment from him.
But the AIU, an independent body managing all doping-related matters for athletics, said they were satisfied that there had been no interference and an IAAF Disciplinary Tribunal on Saturday suspended him for four years effective February 2018.
He had been tentatively suspended by the AIU in May last year.
"The (AIU) panel is aware that its order will interrupt, and may even terminate, the athlete's sporting career and cast a shadow over his impressive competitive record," it said in a statement.
