The odds are stacked against the participation of Egyptian world javelin throw silver medalist, Ihab Abdelrahman, in the Rio Olympics.
Abdelrahman was recently provisionally suspended after a sample taken in April tested positive for external sources of testosterone. A retest that would determine his 2016 Olympic fate was scheduled to take place this week, but it had to be postponed until after the Olympic Games.
Abdelrahman, who pleads innocent, refused having his B sample tested without being present alongside his medical adviser. But with the designated lab located in Spain and its pausing of all operations starting July 27 for workers to leave for Brazil, Abdelrahman ran out of time.
His adviser's travel paperwork was not completed in time, so Abdelrahman chose to miss out on the Olympic Games rather than allow the analysis of his sample – which has been rescheduled for August 30 – in his adviser's absence.
“I am no longer concerned with going to Brazil and competing at the Rio Olympics as much as I am determined to prove that I am clean, as my innocence is more important than the competition,” Abdelrahman said, according to Youm7 . “This accusation is the hardest I have ever faced and I will prove my innocence.”
While the nation was counting on Abdelrahman to raise the Egyptian flag on the podium in Rio de Janeiro, the 27-year-old believes he can still compete at future Olympic Games. Therefore, his main purpose now is to disprove the doping allegations.
The indictment of Egypt’s Olympic medal favorite caused quite an uproar in the community, pushing fans, athletes and officials to accuse the National Olympic Committee of framing Abdelrahman. The positive result of his sample had been announced shortly after Abdelrahman publicly criticized the Egyptian Olympic Committee for not only preventing his coach from escorting him to the Olympics, but also assigning a head of athletics delegation most of the athletic Olympic team disapproves of.
Meanwhile, Al Watan reports that the Egyptian NOC has contacted the World Anti-Doping Agency, the National Anti-Doping Organization, the International Olympic Committee, president of the International Association of Athletics Federations, the Spanish laboratory as well as the Egyptian ambassador in Spain, emphasizing the need to test the second sample as soon as possible.
The NOC suggested that the analysis take place in another facility or in the same Spanish lab, while engaging the least possible number of employees. The committee declared its readiness to take all the required measures for resolution of the issue and the participation of Abdelrahman in the Olympics.
Nonetheless, with the Rio 2016 Olympic Games starting in one week, it is unlikely to find an anti-doping facility to test Abderlahman's sample and reveal the results before the games.