First Doping Scandal Rocks Paris Olympics: 28-Year-Old Judoka From Iraq Suspended After Testing Positive for Anabolic Steroids

The first doping scandal has already hit the Paris Olympics, with 28-year-old Iraqi Judoka Sajjad Sehen accused of bulking up with the help of anabolic steroids.

Hours before the opening ceremony, the International Testing Agency said samples taken earlier this week from the judo practitioner tested positive for metandienone and boldenone: synthetic forms of testosterone used to boost muscle mass and strength.

Gearing up for his Olympic debut, Sehen was scheduled to compete next Tuesday in the men’s 81-kilogram class against an opponent from Uzbekistan, 28-year-old Boltaboev Sharofiddin.

The ITA, a nonprofit that manages the anti-doping program for the International Olympic Committee during the Games, wrote in a press release on Friday: “The athlete has been informed of the case and has been provisionally suspended until the resolution of the matter in line with the World Anti-Doping Code and the IOC Anti-Doping Rules applicable to the Olympic Games Paris 2024.”

His provisional suspension meant Sehen was barred from competing, training, coaching, or engaging in any of this summer’s Olympic activities.

The organization said the athlete “has the right to challenge the imposition of the provisional suspension before the Court of Arbitration for Sport – Anti-Doping Division” and may “request the analysis” of the sample.

“Given that the case is underway, there will be no further comments during the ongoing proceeding.”

Sehen’s profile on the Olympics website lists the athlete as a first-time Olympian and two-time 2023 World Cup bronze medallist. His stats also show he clinched the bronze medal at the 2023 Arab Games in Algiers, Algeria, and competed in the 2018 World Championships in Baku against the 2024 world champion, Hidayet Heydarov.

Independent anti-doping initiatives, led by the ITA over the past year, have examined more than 65 international sport federations and major event organizers, which have found 485 “potential anti-doping rule violations,” according to the org. The results stemmed from at least 15,000 athletes who were sampled more than 40,000 times.

“These significant operational figures affirm the ITA’s status as the world’s largest organisation dedicated to implementing clean sport activities on an international scale.”

During the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, the ITA identified doping by six athletes out of 6,200 samples collected.

Meanwhile, a series of arson attacks targeting France’s high-speed rail system disrupted traffic and exposed the city to security problems.

The unknown attackers damaged signal substation cables connecting the capital with Lille, Bordeaux and Strasbourg, despite the city center swarming with police officers, military personnel, private security officers and snipers. A second attack planned for the Paris-Marseille line was foiled and no injuries were reported.

The chaotic morning came after Parisians expressed concern about the Summer Games wreaking havoc on their city. The city center was declared a “grey zone,” restricting access to residents and forcing businesses in the zone to close for the week.

As locals complained about having to walk for miles around 44,000 6-foot barriers erected around the city, one teacher complained: “It is the first time the Olympic Games are organized in the heart of a city, and it may be the last! Honestly, if this doesn’t wreck Paris, I’d be surprised.”