Anjelina Nadai Lohalith, a key member of the Refugee Olympic team, has been temporarily suspended. The South Sudanese allegedly tested positive for a banned substance just days before the final athlete selection for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.
Lohalith was notified of her alleged use of trimetazidine, a prohibited heart medication, by the athletics integrity unit. The suspension is provisional, pending further disciplinary proceedings.
Having escaped conflict in South Sudan during her childhood and finding refuge in a Kenyan camp, Anjelina Nadai Lohalith had been training with a scholarship from the International Olympic Committee for her third consecutive Summer Games.
The 31-year-old athlete represented the Refugee team in the 1,500m event at both the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics and the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.
A media event organized by the IOC and UNHCR is scheduled for Thursday to finalize the selection of the refugee team for the upcoming Paris Olympic Games, scheduled from July 26 to August 11.
Lohalith has been a prominent figure in international athletics, competing in three World Athletics Championships and being part of the 29-member Refugee Olympic Team in Tokyo.
According to UNHCR, 75 athletes across 14 sports, hailing from 12 different countries and residing in 24 host countries, have received scholarships for the Paris Games.
This incident follows previous doping cases involving athletes from refugee backgrounds, including Moroccan steeplechase runner Fouad Idbafdil, who received a three-year ban in December, and South Sudanese 1,500m runner Dominic Lokolong Atiol, provisionally suspended in March for a similar offense.
Trimetazidine, also known as TMZ, has been implicated in other high-profile doping cases, including those of Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva and 23 Chinese swimmers during preparations for the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.
2024 Olympic Games : Doping scandal hits Anjelina Nadai Lohalith
