Switzerland 400 meters hurdler Kariem Hussein will not be among the starters at the upcoming Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 after his ban for doping was upheld this week, officials said. He tested positive for a banned stimulant earlier this month and appealed his case but failed in a last-ditch effort to have the decision reversed.
The former European champion was hoping to represent his country at the Games in Japan later this summer but will now miss out after he was slapped with a nine-month doping suspension on Friday.
“My dream of the Olympic Games in Tokyo is over. I was banned for 9 months,” Hussein tweeted.
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“One lozenge (Gly-Coramin) contained an illegal substance. I made a mistake with grave consequences. I’m so sorry. But if you know me, you know I’ll keep going.”
Hussein, a seven-time Swiss champion surprisingly won the 400m hurdles gold medal at the 2014 European Championships in Zurich, and returned two years later in Amsterdam to secure a bronze medal.
The 32-year-old owns a seasonal best of 48.84 seconds this season and was not expected to be among the medalist at Tokyo 2020.
“At the request of anti-doping Switzerland, the Swiss Olympic Disciplinary Chamber has imposed a nine-month ban on athlete Kariem Hussein in a simplified procedure,” the Swiss Olympic Committee said in a statement this week.
“The presence of the prohibited substances nikethamide and the metabolite N-ethylnicotinamide had been demonstrated to the athlete in the doping test. The suspension has been in effect since July 16, 2021, the beginning of the provisional suspension and is effective for all sports and all functions in sports.”
