FIRST DOPING CASE OF ATHENS 2004 OLYMPIC GAMES

By François de Saint-Arnaud


ATHENS, 10 August 2004— The International Olympic Committee (IOC) today announced that boxer David Munyasia from Kenya has been excluded from the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad in Athens in 2004 after testing positive for cathine, a prohibited stimulant.

The Disciplinary Commission unanimously concluded that Mr Munyasia had committed a doping offense pursuant to Article 5.1 of the IOC Anti-Doping Rules in that there was the presence of a concentration of cathine in Mr Munyasia’s urine estimated at higher than 20mgr/mL. Cathine is prohibited when its concentration is greater than 5 micrograms per milliliter.

The International Boxing Association (AIBA) is requested to consider any further action within its own competence. The decision shall enter into force immediately.

So far, 224 tests (112 urine, 112 blood) have been performed out of the 3000 tests that the IOC is expected to conduct throughout the period of the Games. This represents an increase of 25% compared to the number of tests performed in Sydney.