ATHLETICS - SPAIN; (CAS) DISMISSES APPEAL BY MOHAMED KATIR AGAINST WORLD ATHLETICS

Lausanne, 19 September 2025 – The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has dismissed an appeal by middle-distance runner Mohamed Katir (Spain) against World Athletics (WA) following an Anti-Doping Rule Violation (ADRV). A counter appeal by WA was also dismissed and Mr Katir’s four-year period of ineligibility that is currently being served remains in place.

On 7 February 2024, Mr Katir was notified by the WA Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) of a violation of WA Anti-Doping Rules (Rule 2.4) after committing three Whereabouts Failures in a twelve-month period. Mr Katir accepted a two-year period of ineligibility as the consequence of the ADRV.

On 18 March 2024, Mr Katir was also notified by the AIU of an alleged violation of WA Anti-Doping Rules (Rule 2.5) for tampering with written documents that were submitted as evidence. The Athlete subsequently admitted during an interview with the AIU that he had falsified a Boarding Pass to make it look like he travelled on the day of a Whereabouts Failure. However, he did not accept the additional consequences of the ADRV proposed by the AIU.

The matter was taken to the WA Disciplinary Tribunal which found on 11 December 2024 that the Athlete committed the ADRV (Rule 2.5) and sanctioned him with a four-year period of ineligibility from the day of the decision. This was to operate concurrently with the two-year period that was being served at the time and there was no disqualification of results prior to 7 February 2024.

Mohamid Katir filed an appeal with CAS on 9 January 2025 seeking to set aside the decision by the Disciplinary Tribunal and declare that no ADRV was committed. World Athletics filed a counter-appeal to CAS on 11 March 2025, seeking that the period of ineligibility on the Athlete be increased to five years. The cases were consolidated, and it was decided by the Parties that a hearing would not be held.

After considering the written submissions, the CAS Panel found that the Athlete had committed an ADRV for intentionally tampering with documents in relation to the doping control process. The Panel also found that there were no aggravated circumstances to justify an increase to the period of ineligibility of four years. Both appeals were dismissed and the decision of the WA Disciplinary Tribunal on 11 December 2024 is confirmed.

This is an unofficial summary for media use. A CAS award will be published on the CAS website in due course, unless Parties request confidentiality.