World Athletics Council endorses AIU`s sanctions on Bahrain

The World Athletics Council has endorsed a recommendation from the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) Board concerning the measures and corrective actions to be imposed on the Bahrain Athletics Association (BAA) due to past violations of the World Athletics Anti-Doping Rules (ADR).

The endorsement follows a notice of charge issued by AIU in December 2023 after its investigation into the matter that took them 18 months.

The investigations were driven by the anti-doping rule violations committed by two Bahrain athletes at the Tokyo Olympic Games for homologous blood transfusions and the discovery that the BAA had engaged a coach to work with the national team between 2019 and 2021 who was in fact banned from sport for anti-doping rule violations.

ADR rule 15 imposes anti-doping obligations on Member Federations of World Athletics which are separate to the obligations of the World Anti-Doping Code. Having agreed to the charges of violation of ADR rule 15.4.1 and 15.4.6, BAA will face the following consequences;

1. The BAA’s participation in both the Paris 2024 Olympic Games and World Athletics Championships Tokyo 25 will be limited to a maximum of 10 athletes.
2. The BAA will not participate in any other World Athletics Series events for 12 months from 1 June 2024.
3. The BAA will not apply for any transfers of allegiance or recruit any foreign athletes until 2027.
4. BAA will also be required to address the doping and integrity risk in athletics in Bahrain. To manage this, they will require to spend over $7.3 million (Sh941,700,000).

“The BAA, to its great credit, has displayed genuine contrition about its past wrongdoings and commitment to change. In fact, much of the work to reform the federation commenced on a voluntary basis in 2023 as soon as the senior leadership of the BAA became aware of the issues uncovered by the AIU investigation.” Chair of the Athletics Integrity Unit, David Howman, said.

Howman continued as seen in the press release, “It has cooperated fully with the investigation and taken a lead in creating the strategic plan and operational roadmap required to create real change within the federation and within the sport. The creation of a new NADO in Bahrain is a particularly significant outcome for clean sport.”