Running News Daily

Ethiopian middle-distance runner Mosisa Siyoum has been handed an eight-year ban from athletics, ending his competitive career until 2034 after an investigation uncovered both an EPO violation and an attempt to mislead the anti-doping process.

The 27-year-old 1,500m runner tested positive for erythropoietin (EPO) from a sample collected in Toruń, Poland, in February 2026, during the weekend of the Copernicus Cup.

Siyoum initially provided a medical explanation for the presence of the prohibited substance. He told investigators that he had lost consciousness at home, was taken to a health facility, diagnosed with anaemia and subsequently given an EPO injection. To support his account, he submitted documents that he claimed came from the medical facility.

However, the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) began examining the circumstances surrounding the alleged treatment and found serious inconsistencies in the paperwork.

According to the AIU's investigation, the name of the healthcare provider listed on the documents did not correspond with the signature appearing on them. The investigation went further, with the AIU conducting two in-person interviews with Siyoum and making direct inquiries with the health centre identified in the documents.

Those inquiries ultimately established that Siyoum had not attended the facility on the date stated in the medical records.

The discovery significantly escalated the case. While the EPO violation alone carried a four-year period of ineligibility, the additional finding of tampering with the doping-control process resulted in another four-year sanction.

Under World Athletics' anti-doping rules, the two periods do not run concurrently. The four-year tampering sanction therefore follows the four-year doping ban, producing a total suspension of eight years.

Siyoum did not contest the charges. His period of ineligibility began on May 5, 2026, meaning he will remain banned from athletics until May 2034.

The sanctions also carry a major retrospective consequence. All of Siyoum's results dating back to December 13, 2025, have been disqualified, with the associated titles, rankings, prizes and other consequences subject to the applicable rules.

Despite competing at a high level domestically, Siyoum never represented Ethiopia at an international championship. His case was among four AIU decisions published on Thursday, adding another significant anti-doping case to athletics' continuing efforts to protect the integrity of competition.

What began as an EPO positive has ultimately become a much more serious case, with the investigation into the medical explanation leading to a second violation and an eight-year exclusion from the sport.