Paralympic long-distance runner's gold medal withdrawn for doping
Paralympic long-distance runner's gold medal withdrawn for doping
Europa Press
La Jornada Newspaper, Tuesday, June 3, 2025, p. a11
Madrid. Spanish Paralympic long-distance runner Yassine Ouhdadi was banned for three years by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) after failing a doping test, resulting in the withdrawal of his gold medal in the 5,000m T13 event, a category for athletes with visual impairments, at the Paris 2024 Games.
Ouhdadi, 30, admitted a doping rule violation by failing to prove the reason or source of the discovery of traces of the prohibited substance, clostebol, in his samples taken during a test on July 28, 2024. The three-year ban imposed by the IPC runs from September 9, 2024, to September 8, 2027.
The Spanish Paralympic Committee (CPE) strongly condemned
Ouhdadi's positive test, which means all his results will be annulled from the date of the test, July 28, 2024.
The CPE expresses its strongest condemnation and rejection of any violation of doping regulations and recalls that the institution has been developing programs aimed at training and raising awareness among Paralympic athletes in this area, aimed not only at trying to prevent the voluntary use of prohibited substances or methods, but also at preventing violations caused by contact with or unintentional use of these substances
, it indicated.
He also explained that, ahead of the Paris Games, the organization had proposed that members of the Spanish Paralympic team undergo several out-of-competition doping controls before attending the event
.
To this end, a collaboration agreement was reached with the Spanish Commission for the Fight against Doping in Sport, so that this organization could develop or coordinate these controls
, he noted.
In Ouhdadi's case, he underwent various anti-doping controls during 2024 (specifically in competition on May 15 and August 31, that is, before and after the positive test) and also during the competition at the Paris Paralympic Games, with the result being negative in all of those cases
, he added.
In this regard, he stated that the positive test result was conducted out of competition at the request of the IPC on July 28. However, at the end of February 2025, seven months later, the athlete and the CPE were informed of the adverse analytical report
, he explained.
Alberto Aceves
La Jornada Newspaper, Tuesday, June 3, 2025, p. a12
At Cruz Azul, the celebrations for returning to the top of the CONCACAF Champions League with the conquest of the Champions Cup ended yesterday at the team hotel. After a season with the highest number of points in the League (75), qualification for the 2029 Club World Cup, and the Intercontinental Cup, the squad suspended activities due to the possibility of not seeing Vicente Sánchez again, who will step down as coach upon the expiration of his contract. Like captain Ignacio Rivero, the majority of players who played in the final against the Canadian side Vancouver Whitecaps showed their support for the Uruguayan, in the same way that former representatives did.
"We had to recover from tough blows. We lost a final, we suffered elimination in the semi-finals , but we never gave up," said Rivero, convinced that the continuity of a project brings a team closer to achieving its most important goals. Vicente is a coach who can stay with us; I'm not the one who can decide that. We have to remember that working hard, behind closed doors, with commitment and humility, is the key to everything
.
With the prize for the best team in the League's annual standings ($1 million) and the prize for the Concacaf title winner ($5 million), Sánchez closed his season with $6 million in cash.
During the club's lowest point, the former player was surprisingly recalled from the U-23 team following the departure of Argentine Martín Anselmi, who handed over the reins after the first two matches of the 2025 Clausura. "We took Cruz Azul from 16th to third place, in addition to playing in the Champions Cup at the same time
," he recalled. During that double journey, he had a streak of 19 matches without losing until the semifinal elimination against América.
"I don't know what might happen tomorrow. The decision isn't up to me; the numbers are on the table
," he stated during his latest press conference, following a series of disagreements with the sporting directors, led by fellow Uruguayan Iván Alonso.
Amid the celebrations for the champions, the Celeste board's inquiries about Nicolás Larcamón, currently at Necaxa and the coach chosen to continue the project, have advanced to such an extent that some workers at La Noria are almost taking it for granted.
The team's support
"It's very strange that a champion team decides to change coaches so soon; it's not that easy to put everything back together
," warned the club's former sporting director, Ricardo Peláez. The players were convinced they would win the double (League and Concacaf), but it didn't happen, but his departure has a significant impact on the sporting side. These kinds of games show that they're behind him, that they support him on the field, which is the most important place
."
On an individual level, Cruz Azul swept the awards in the final against Vancouver.
Colombian goalkeeper Kevin Mier took home the Golden Glove; he played seven matches and kept a clean sheet in four. Like him, Mexican forward Ángel Sepúlveda, who has rarely been called up to the national team, was named the tournament's Best Player and top scorer with nine goals, two of them on Sunday at the Olympic Stadium at Ciudad Universitaria. "We had to suffer, but this team deserved to win the Cup; it was a very important year for everyone
," the 34-year-old striker noted.
With no certainty about his future, Sánchez and his coaching staff thus accomplished their mission of winning the CONCACAF title after 11 years of waiting.
We gave Cruz Azul the title and left them at the top of the list of winners (seven, equal to América). We'll have to go back many years to see when the team had achieved these goals
, the former Uruguayan player emphasized in his farewell. Larcamón's arrival could be confirmed in the coming hours.
Carlo Ancelotti prepares for his Brazil qualifying debut
▲ The Italian coach and the Canarinha will visit Ecuador on Thursday. AP Photo
AFP
La Jornada Newspaper, Tuesday, June 3, 2025, p. a12
Bogotá. South American stadiums will welcome Carlo Ancelotti this week, embarking on the complex mission of returning Brazil to the football elite, as the qualifiers resume, which could seal several teams' qualification for the 2026 World Cup.
The Italian coach will have a demanding debut when the Canarinha , again without Neymar, but with Vinicius Jr, Casemiro and Raphinha, visits Ecuador on Thursday.
"Ancelotti has a great understanding, he loves football, and his approach is very much in line with Brazilian thinking," the legendary Zico described in a recent interview with AFP.
With four matches remaining, the Ecuadorians are in second place with 23 points, just behind Lionel Messi's already qualified Argentina, and could secure their place in the World Cup if they upset the former Real Madrid coach's debut.
The five-time world champions are fourth with 21 points, the same number as Uruguay (in third place) and Paraguay (in fifth). Colombia is one point behind and occupies sixth place, the last place that offers a direct pass.
Between this Thursday and Tuesday of next week, the five teams occupying the direct qualification spots could secure their place in the World Cup. The seventh playoff spot, occupied by Venezuela, will also be a fierce battle, with Bolivia squeezing in close and bottom-placed Peru and Chile playing their last cards.
Although the spotlight is on Ancelotti, the Seleção will have two matches that will require him to show a less fragile side, having carried out two coaches on the road to the World Cup, Dorival Júnior and Fernando Diniz.
U-20 women's team , heading to the 2026 World Cup in Poland
▲ The Mexican U-20 women's team defeated Canada 4-2 and finished top of Group B in the Concacaf World Cup Qualifiers and secured their qualification for the 2026 World Cup in Poland. The match was suspended for several minutes due to heavy rain in Costa Rica. Photo: Screenshot
La Jornada Newspaper, Tuesday, June 3, 2025, p. a12
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