British boxer Amir Khan has been banned for two years by UK Anti-Doping (UKAD) after testing positive for Ostarine.
Follow Us
British boxer Amir Khan has been banned for two years by UK Anti-Doping (UKAD) after testing positive for Ostarine during his bout with fellow Briton Kell Brook on February 19, 2022 at Manchester Arena. On April 6 of last year, UKAD informed the former professional world champion and Olympic silver medalist of his failure and issued him a provisional suspension. He was then accused in July, but because Khan maintained that he had consumed the chemical unintentionally, the case had to be heard by an impartial judge. The panel found Amir Khan’s evidence to be credible, but his recollection of key events was hazy, and ruled that he had broken anti-doping guidelines.
Amir Khan has a professional boxing record of 34 wins and 6 losses. He retired in May after losing the bout by knockout in the sixth round. When he won the lightweight silver medal at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece, at the age of just 17, the British boxer cemented his reputation as a household figure in the UK. In 2009, he won the WBA light-welterweight title, which he later combined with the IBF crown after beating American Zab Judah in 2011. Khan has gained fame outside of sports and has made appearances on reality television. The boxer discussed an incident from last year in which two men held him at gunpoint while robbing him of a £70,000 ($87,000/€80,000) watch on British news program Good Morning Britain.
Read More-Two-time Olympian faces eight-year ban for doping and false documentation
Ostarine is a drug that is prohibited under anti-doping laws despite its ability to increase muscle building and decrease body fat. Khan did successfully argue that he did not knowingly consume the chemical, but the tribunal determined that he was responsible for what he consumed and that there was no “reliable record” of the supplements he had used. According to the witness Professor Pascal Kintz, the dose found in Khan’s samples was “inconsistent” with any desire to violate the law, but Khan was unable to clarify where the Ostarine had come from.
The prohibition, which began when his temporary suspension began, will end on April 5, 2024. The incident serves as a reminder that UKAD will pursue anti-doping rule infractions aggressively to safeguard clean sport, according to UKAD CEO Jane Rumble.
“Strict liability means athletes are ultimately responsible for what they ingest and for the presence of any prohibited substances in a sample. It is important that all athletes and their support personnel, whatever level they are competing at, take their anti-doping responsibilities seriously. Not doing so risks damaging not only an athlete’s career, but also undermining public confidence in clean sport,” Jane Rumble said.
Following the issuing of his ban, Amir Khan said to Sky Sports News, “I’ve never cheated in my life. I’m the one that wanted testing on that fight. Also, the amount that was in my system could have been by shaking people’s hands. I don’t know the drug that was in my system. Ostarine? I would never cheat, I’m a retired fighter. I’ve got a two-year ban now which is quite strange and funny that they banned me. I’ve already retired, I’ve no comeback plans at all.”
Read More-Sanjita Chanu Tests Positive for Anabolic Steroid, Receives Four-Year Ban from NADA
