Botswana’s Amos gets three-year ban for doping

Botswana’s Nijel Amos has been banned for three years after the 2012 Olympic 800 metres silver medallist tested positive for a banned metabolite, the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) said yesterday.

The AIU said the ban would come into effect from July 12 2022, which was the date of his provisional suspension, and end on July 11 2025.

The drug found in the 29-year-old’s system, GW1516, modifies how the body metabolises fat, and the World Anti-Doping Agency has said it poses a health risk to athletes.

Amos’s silver at the London Games was Botswana’s first Olympic medal. The African nation won bronze in the 4x400m relay at the Tokyo Games in 2021.