Five Vietnamese athletes who tested positive for illegal substances after the 31st SEA Games will be stripped of their medals and banned from future competitions.
Hanoi (VNS/VNA) - Five Vietnamese athletes whotested positive for illegal substances after the 31st SEA Games will bestripped of their medals and banned from future competitions.
The Vietnam Anti-Doping Agency (VADA) on June 27 announcedpenalties for these athletes 10 months after their violations.
Following a document sent to the Vietnam Athletics Federation,VADA will revoke the gold medal of Vu Thi Ngoc Ha in the women's long jumpevent and a silver in the triple jump. She will be banned for 16 monthsfrom May 16, 2022, to September 16, 2023.
Le Ngoc Phuc suffers the same ban and has tosurrender his 400m silver and 4x400m relay silver.
Runner Khuat Phuong Anh's gold medal in the women's800m and silver in the 1,500m events will also be retracted. She willbe banned for 18 months from May 16, 2022, to November 16, 2023.
The same 18-month ban applies for runner Quach Thi Lan who will beout of action from May 17, 2022, to November 17, 2023. Her golds in the women's400m hurdle and 4x400m will be stripped.
Runner Hoang Thi Ngoc will be banned for 18 months from May18, 2022, to November 18, 2023. Ngoc will have to give up her gold in the4x400m relay.
The bans are not as heavy as the usual four-year ones fromthe World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).
All the athletes used the same supplements which they boughtthemselves and claimed not to know they were banned substances.
Runner Lan even checked with his team's doctor about thesupplements and was given permission to use them. This was a new varianton the market and it is claimed little was known about it.
These five players were earlier banned from competing at theNational Sports Games last December.
Even with their medals stripped, Vietnam still maintains itsspot as the top in the medal tally with 200 golds, 121 silvers and 116bronzes./.
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Runner Quach Thi Lan (Photo: VNA) 
