In a major crackdown on doping in sports, eight Pakistani athletes have been banned by the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) after testing positive for prohibited substances, with investigations still ongoing against five others.
The move comes after 140 anti-doping tests were conducted in 2024, with 13 athletes testing positive, five of the banned athletes are weightlifters.
Furqan Ahmed has been suspended for two years, Jamil Akhtar and Muhammad Yousaf have each received three-year bans, Ghulam Hussain Shahid faces a four-year ban, and Arsalan Rauf has been suspended for three years.
The doping scandal extends beyond weightlifting, with cyclist Natalia Khan and sprinter Anis Khan each receiving three-year bans from the PSB. Bodybuilder Kashif Shah has been hit with a four-year suspension. Shot-putter Mahnoor Dogar and middle-distance runner Rabeela Farooq have also tested positive and await disciplinary action.
In addition, sprinter Naveed Anjum and weightlifters Malik Subhan and Hamad Ali have been issued notices as investigations continue.
PSB’s strict stance on doping in sports follows repeated warnings from WADA to Pakistan. The international regulatory body responsible for catching cheating athletes has kept Pakistan on its watch list in recent months.
This is not the first instance of athletes being caught violating anti-doping regulations by the PSB. A PSB spokesperson reiterated the board’s commitment to fairness and transparency in sports, emphasizing its strict stance on doping.
“We have a zero-tolerance policy on doping violations, and strict action will continue to be taken against those who breach anti-doping regulations,” the spokesperson said.
