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3 August 2026
The ITA confirms that Aidyn Tolepbayev has been sanctioned with a four-year period of ineligibility for an Anti-Doping Rule Violation (ADRV) under articles 2.1 and 2.2 of the GAMMA Anti-Doping Rules (GAMMA ADR).
As previously reported by the ITA, a sample provided by the athlete during an in-competition doping control on 14 December 2024 during the GAMMA World Championships 2024 in Banten, Indonesia, yielded an Adverse Analytical Finding (AAF)¹ for meldonium.
Meldonium is prohibited under the WADA Prohibited List as S4 Hormone and Metabolic Modulators. It is also prohibited at all times (in- and out-of-competition) and classified as a non-specified substance. Meldonium may enhance sports performance by improving endurance and recovery through increased oxygen uptake and energy metabolism.
On 3 March 2025, when notified about the case, the athlete was provisionally suspended with immediate effect.²
The athlete did not challenge his ADRV. Pursuant to Article 8.3.3 of the GAMMA ADR, the ITA issued a sanctioning decision³ imposing the applicable consequences, namely a period of ineligibility of four years from 3 March 2025 until 2 March 2029, the disqualification of all results obtained at the GAMMA World Championships 2024, and the disqualification of all individual competitive results obtained from 14 December 2024 until 3 March 2025.
Parties with a right of appeal may challenge the decision before the appeals division of the Court of Arbitration for Sport in accordance with article 13.2.3 of the GAMMA ADR.
The ITA will not comment further on this case.
¹ A report from a WADA-accredited laboratory that, consistent with the International Standard for Laboratories, establishes in a sample the presence of a prohibited substance or its metabolites or markers or evidence of the use of a prohibited method.
² The information about the provisional suspension was publicly disclosed by the ITA shortly after its imposition: https://ita.sport/news/ita-notifies-gamma-athletes-mazhit-sardarov-aidyn-tolepbayev-zeinep-orazkhan-of-apparent-anti-doping-rule-violations/.
³ When an athlete does not challenge the assertion of an ADRV and does not request a hearing, anti-doping organisations have the possibility to issue a written decision sanctioning the athlete and imposing the applicable consequences without having to refer the case to a hearing panel. This is provided in articles 8.3.2 and 8.3.3 of the GAMMA ADR and article 8.3 of the World Anti-Doping Code.
