Al Saadi not to appeal against ban

Al Saadi admitted he did not know what was in the injection administered to him. “I did not know what kind of stimulant was in the needle, but the majority of the injections used to treat the athletes have a proportionate amount of the drug,” he said.

“My failing the doping tests was possible, but I was unsure so I decided to go ahead and participate anyway. I bear the result of this failure. If I could have gone back in time, I would have pulled out of the tournament to not risk my career through the possibility of failing this doping test, which has ended my sporting reputation.”

“The Olympic committee was not aware of my treatment, because I am usually treated externally on my own account,” added Al Saadi. “The decision has shocked me, and all the media have published this news without recognising my side of the story and forgetting to mention by previous achievements. My mistake happened unintentionally. The Olympic Committee knows these details and it was not done deliberately. But the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) does not care about the case backgrounds.”

Although Al Saadi does have the right to appeal the ban, he says he cannot afford the travel expenses incurred in going to WADA headquarters in Canada to fight his case. “I have given up my right to conduct another examination because I will be responsible for the travel and hostel costs and the results are not guaranteed to be on my side, and I cannot afford these expenses,” he said.

“Locally I was ranked first among the Omani runners. This is not the first time I have represented Oman. I’ve been a national team player since 2012 and I have always passed the doping tests. “During my time with Oman, I have won three Asian bronze medals, and have won a number of Gulf tournaments,” added Al Saadi.