PARIS: An Iraqi judoka has tested positive for banned anabolic steroids at the Paris Olympics, the International Testing Agency announced on Friday — the first positive doping test at the Games.

The ITA said a sample collected from Sajjad Sehen had “returned an adverse analytical finding for the non-specified prohibited substances metandienone and boldenone”.

Both drugs are banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency.

The sample was collected by the ITA during an out-of-competition anti-doping control on Tuesday in Paris, with the result reported by the WADA-accred­ited laboratory of Paris on Thursday.

The 28-year-old first-time Olympian had been due to compete next week in the men’s 81-kilogram class.

The ITA statement said the athlete had been provisionally suspended until the resolution of the matter.

“This means that the athlete is prevented from competing, training, coaching, or participating in any activity during the Olympic Games Paris 2024,” it said.

The manager of Iraq’s delegation, Herda Raouf, said Sehen and his coach would be questioned by doping chiefs on Saturday.

“It is worth noting that the player had previously undergone a surgical operation, which may have caused him to take some type of medication,” Raouf said.

The ITA said Sehen had the right to challenge his provisional suspension at the Court of Arbitration for Sport and can also request an analysis of the B sample.

The ITA manages an independent anti-doping programme for the Olympics in Paris on behalf of the IOC.

Published in Dawn, July 27th, 2024