Scandal around Olympic champion: Koki Ikeda closed for four years because of blood doping!

Scandal around Olympic champion: Koki Ikeda closed for four years because of blood doping!

Neapel, Italien - The Japanese athlete Koki Ikeda, the silver medalist of the 2021 Olympic Games in Tokyo and the World Cup 2022, faces a great dilemma: Because of blood doping, he was closed by the integrity commission of the World Athletics Association (AIU) for four years. This was announced on Friday. The lock will come into force from November 1, 2024 and ranges until November 2028, which excludes it from competitions for a long time. Several rehearsals from 2023, which indicated blood manipulations, were examined, such as laola1.at reported.

ikeda's reaction

The 26-year-old Ikeda stated in an emotional message that he was completely perplexed through the decision and felt unable to take part in his next planned competition event. He emphasized his will, "to fight for the truth and a fair decision", and is ready to initiate the step of the appeal, such as prensa-latina.cu reported. In its reasoning, the AIU refers to specific articles that prohibit the use of forbidden substances or methods, and finds that irregularities were found in the biological passport of the athlete. Ikeda, who also took seventh place at the last Olympic Games in Paris 2024, is now faced with the challenge of proving his innocence.