Olympic Pole Vault Champion Braz To Miss Paris Games After Failing Dope Test

Paris Olympic Games: Olympic pole vault champion Thiago Braz will miss the Paris Olympic Games after breaching anti-doping regulations, the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) has announced.

The 30-year-old Brazilian was provisionally suspended last July after he was found to have traces of the performance-enhancing drug ostarine glucuronide in his urine following a routine test, the AIU said on Tuesday.

In a statement, the AIU said Braz had violated world athletics doping rules related to "metabolites or markers", reports Xinhua.

It issued him with a 16-month suspension, backdated to the start of the provisional ban, meaning he will only be free to compete again in November.

The Paris 2024 Olympics will be held from July 26 to August 11.

Braz argued that he had inadvertently consumed the substance through sports supplements given to him by his nutritionist.

Ostarine is used to enhance muscle growth and athletic performance.

Braz won gold at the Rio Games in 2016 and took bronze in Tokyo five years later. He also claimed the silver medal at the World Indoor Championships in 2022 and holds the indoor and outdoor Brazilian pole vault records.