Amir Khan has been banned by the UK Anti-Doping Agency for two years after testing positive for a prohibited substance.
News of his failed test for ostarine emerged on Tuesday from an in-competition sample collected back on February 19, 2022 following his fight against Kell Brook.
The ban is backdated, meaning Khan is suspended until April 5 next year although the length of the penalty is somewhat immaterial after he retired from professional boxing following the loss to Brook.
Khan admitted the two violations after failing to establish the source of the prohibited substance despite arguing the breaches were not intentional.
The 36-year-old former Olympic silver medallist argued that previous tests taken on January 20 and 21 as well as February 12 had come up as negative. And he blamed the fact he was not notified of his positive until April 6 for his inability to establish the source of ostarine in his system.
In one of two witness statements, Khan had said he believed “that the most probable explanation was through contamination of a supplement or incidental contact with another person”.
Ostarine is on the World Anti-Doping Agency’s list of banned substances and is prohibited in sport at all times.
The Khan case was heard by an independent tribunal on January 24 with the former fighter banned despite the panel agreeing to his claim the ingestion of the drug had been unintentional.
Following the two-year ban, UKAD chief executive Jane Rumble said: “This case serves as a reminder that UKAD will diligently pursue anti-doping rule violations in order to protect clean sport.
“Strict liability means athletes are ultimately responsible for what they ingest and for the presence of any prohibited substances in a sample.
“It is important that all athletes and their support personnel, whatever level they are competing at, take their anti-doping responsibilities seriously. Not doing so risks damaging not only an athlete’s career but also undermining public confidence in clean sport.”
