Winter Olympics rocked by positive drug test as Iranian skier returns steroid result

An Olympic Games that needed no further controversy, Beijing has been hit by a positive doping test after a skier’s result showed signs of steroid use.

Iranian skier Hossein Saveh Shemshaki has tested positive for steroids – one of the first announced at the Beijing Olympics.

This comes as there is still an ongoing drugs drama surrounding the Russian 15 year old skater Kamila Valieva. The medal ceremony for the team figure skating competition has been delayed as officials deal with a legal challenge.

The International Skating Union said the skating medal presentation delay was because of a legal issue. Inside The Games has reported that the uncertainty relates to a drugs test taken by the Russian team member Valieva before she arrived in Beijing for the Olympics.

Meanwhile Saveh Shemshaki, a 36 year old slalom skier who finished 31st at the Sochi Olympics, been provisionally suspended after an out of competition sample collected on Monday returned an adverse analytical finding, said the International Testing Agency.

“The athlete is prevented from competing, training, coaching, or participating in any activity, during the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022,” the ITA said in a statement.

“The athlete has the right to challenge the imposition of the provisional suspension before the Court of Arbitration for Sport – Anti-Doping Division (CAS ADD). The athlete also has the right to request the analysis of the B-sample.”

Saveh Shemshaki, 36, earned his best Olympic result so far in 2014 in Sochi, where he finished 31st in slalom.