World 5,000 metres silver medallist Mohamed Katir has been banned by the Disciplinary Tribunal for four years for Tampering after falsifying documents in relation to a Whereabouts Failure.
The 26-year-old Spanish middle-distance runner, who is currently serving a two-year ban until February 6, 2026 for three Whereabouts Failures in a 12-month period, was sanctioned under Rule 2.5 of the Anti-Doping Rules (ADR) relating to Tampering or Attempted Tampering with any part of Doping Control by an Athlete or other Person, following a charge brought by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) on June 12, 2024.
The four-year ban will run concurrently with the ongoing Whereabouts Failures sanction, extending Katir’s ban from the sport until February 2028.
Katir – also a world 1,500 metres bronze medallist – was found to have falsified travel
documents (namely a travel Itinerary, boarding pass and booking confirmation) in an attempt
to mislead investigators as they probed the veracity of his explanation for a Whereabouts
Failure that occurred on February 28, 2023.
“There can be no doubt that: a) The Athlete put forward a false version of events and altered
documents. b) He did so in order to persuade WA (World Athletics) that his Filing Failure on 28 February 2023 should not be treated as a Whereabouts Failure,” concluded the Tribunal in its judgement.
“In those circumstances, it is obvious that the Athlete committed an ADRV (Anti-Doping Rules
Violation) by Tampering, or Attempted Tampering under Rule 2.5 ADR.”
However, the Disciplinary Tribunal denied the AIU’s request for Katir’s results to be disqualified from March 9, 2023 – the “date of deception” – on fairness grounds, because the Tampering had occurred “at the time of a first Whereabouts Failure and the Athlete has not benefited from a competitive advantage which affected his results”.
AIU Head Brett Clothier said the ruling underscored the seriousness of Tampering.
“Gone are the days in athletics when explanations offered in anti-doping cases are just
accepted at face value. Thanks to strong investment in investigations, since its inception in
2017, the AIU has prosecuted 25 Tampering cases,” stressed Clothier.
“The vast majority of our elite athletes respect the strict rules and processes of the sport and
they should take heart at the action being taken to ensure a level playing field.”
On February 13 2024, Katir admitted to breaching Rule 2.4 ADR regarding Whereabouts Failures and accepted the imposed sanction of 2 years, but investigators further reviewed information relating to his explanation for the first of those Whereabouts Failures a year earlier on February 28, 2023.
The review uncovered that Katir had submitted falsified travel documentation.