Turkish Athlete Denies Doping Claims

Turkish athlete Elvan Abeylegesse has denied claims of doping, saying: "I have not used a [banned] substance and I have never thought about taking one."



The Ethiopian-born runner said in a written statement that the International Association of Athletics Federations had detected something untoward in a sample from a second reanalysis of samples from the 2007 World Championships in Athletics held in Osaka, Japan.



Abeylegesse said that the IAAF had informed her via the Turkish Athletics Federation (TAF).



"I announce that I will take steps … so that the case will be clarified and I will withdraw from competitions until the case ends. I will also request the IAAF to test my samples from the 2008 Summer Olympics. I am very disappointed and feel sorry", she added.



The IAAF announced Tuesday that a disciplinary investigation had been launched against 28 athletes who took part in the 2005 and 2007 World Championships after detecting 32 "adverse findings" in a second reanalysis.



Urine samples from athletes who took part in Helsinki 2005 and Osaka 2007 World Championships have been examined again.



It is reported that a majority of these athletes are retired and some of them already sanctioned for doping, meaning they would not be competing in the 2015 World Championships, set to start in Beijing on August 22.



The names of the athletes concerned will not be given until the investigation is completed. - Ankara