The Spanish newspaper "Marca" revealed that "prohibited substances were found in the sample collected from Iraqi judo player Sajjad Ghanem during the 2024 Summer Olympic Games." The report noted that "the Paris Olympics have their first athlete suspected in a doping case, as the International Testing Agency reported finding prohibited substances in the Iraqi athlete's sample, specifically Methandienone and Boldenone, classified as anabolic steroids."
The sample was collected during a doping test before the competitions starting on July 23 in Paris, and the results were announced two days later by the laboratory accredited by the World Anti-Doping Agency in Paris. Ghanem was set to compete on July 30 in the 81 kg category, and the judo player has been provisionally suspended until the issue is resolved in accordance with global anti-doping laws. The Iraqi athlete has the right to contest the provisional suspension before the Court of Arbitration for Sport and may also request a second sample analysis.
