ITA notifies GAMMA athletes Mazhit Sardarov, Aidyn Tolepbayev & Zeinep Orazkhan of apparent anti-doping rule violations

The ITA reports that samples collected from Kazakh athletes Mazhit Sardarov, Aidyn Tolepbayev and Zeinep Orazkhan during an in-competition anti-doping control on 14 December 2024 at the 2024 GAMMA World Championships have returned AAFs ¹ for meldonium, a non-specified substance prohibited at all times.

Meldonium is prohibited under the World Anti-Doping Agency’s Prohibited List in the category of “Hormones and Metabolic Modulators” (S4).

The athletes have been notified of the cases and have the right to request the analysis of their B-sample.

If the respective B-sample analysis is requested and confirms the result of the A-sample, the case will be considered as a confirmed anti-doping rule violation. If the B-sample analysis is not requested, the case will also go ahead as a confirmed anti-doping rule violation. Each athlete will have the opportunity to present their explanations for the results.

In accordance with the World Anti-Doping Code and Article 7.4.1 of the GAMMA Anti-Doping Rules, the athletes have been provisionally suspended. The athletes have the right to challenge the provisional suspensions and ask for their lifting.

Pursuant to the GAMMA’s delegation of its anti-doping program to the ITA, the prosecution of the case is being handled entirely by the ITA. Given that the case is underway, there will be no further comments made.