Five local athletes face ban following SEA Games doping violations
VOV.VN - Five Vietnamese track-and-field athletes have been stripped of their results and banned from competitions from 16 to 18 months following their doping violations at the 31st SEA Games held in Vietnam in 2022.
The disciplinary decisions were sent to the Vietnam Olympic Committee and the five athletes on June 27, local media said.
Sprinter and hurdler Quach Thi Lan was stripped of her 400m hurdles gold medal, 4x400m relay gold medal and women’s 400m bronze medal. She was also banned from competitions over 18 months, starting from May 17, 2022 to November 17, 2023.
Another 18-month ban was imposed on Khuan Phuong Anh who won a gold in the women’s 800 race and a silver in the women’s 1,500m race, and Hoang Thi Ngoc who won a gold in the women’s 4x400m relay.
Meanwhile, Vu Thi Ngoc Ha, gold medalist in long jump, and Le Ngoc Phuc, silver medalist in the men's 4x400m relay, were both banned from competitions for 16 months.
The disciplinary decisions will be published on the official website of the Vietnam Anti-doping and Sports Medicine Center (VADA). The penalties are lighter than the athletes initially thought.
The five athletes had tested positive for banned substances twice after the regional sporting event. In their reports to sport authorities, they all confirmed that they had not intentionally used banned substances, but might have accidentally taken in drugs or inappropriate food.
