LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AP) — Ethiopian middle-distance runner Diribe Welteji has been barred from the world track championships a day before her first race amid a legal dispute over allegedly missing a drug test.
Welteji, the silver medalist in the 1,500 meters at the last world championships in 2023, was set to race in the 1,500 heats Saturday but has now been “declared ineligible” by the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
Welteji was accused in May of refusing to give a sample for a doping test “without any justification,” CAS said.
She was cleared by an Ethiopian anti-doping panel last month but the Athletics Integrity Unit, which oversees doping cases on behalf of World Athletics, appealed to CAS against that ruling Thursday and asked for Welteji to be suspended until the case is resolved. That request has now been granted.
The 23-year-old Ethiopian would have been a medal contender in Tokyo. Welteji is second in the world rankings in the 1,500 and this year won the silver medal at the world indoor championships.
Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who make comments.
Keep it clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
Don't threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Anyone violating these rules will be issued a warning. After the warning, comment privileges can be revoked.