Following a doping violation, Greek pole vaulter Emmanouil Karalis Polak has been suspended from the ongoing Olympics athletics competition.
Notably, the 27-year-old athlete, who represented Greece at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, was participating in the qualification round on Monday.
While she successfully cleared a height of 4.20 meters, Polak struggled to surpass 4.40 meters, preventing her from securing a spot in Wednesday’s final.
Meanwhile, the news of Polak’s suspension emerged after Greece’s anti-doping agency alerted the Hellenic Olympic Committee (HOC) on Monday about the positive test.
In response, the HOC expelled a member of the Greek team from the athletes’ village.
However, at the time, the committee did not initially confirm the athlete’s identity.
However, Polak soon found herself at the center of the controversy.
She has vehemently denied any intentional wrongdoing, emphasizing that she has never used supplements or protein powders.
According to Polak, the agency detected a substance that fell below the banned threshold in her sample.
This allowed her to compete in the qualification round.
Also, she believes the source of the substance is linked to her diet, which includes daily consumption of red meat due to an iron deficiency. “I only know that the meat contained that substance,” Polak stated.
Similar Cases at the Paris Olympics
Meanwhile, Polak’s case is among several similar incidents that have marred the competition in Paris.
Other athletes, including Afghan judoka Mohammad Samim Faizad, Iraqi judoka Sajjad Sehen, and Nigerian boxing champion Cynthia Ogunsemilore, have also failed tests on banned substances in Paris.
Notably, the suspension has dealt significantly with Polak’s athletic career, raising concerns about the prevalence of doping in sports.
As investigations continue, the spotlight remains on the integrity of competitions.
Moreover, such investigations could encourage measures to ensure a level playing field for all athletes.
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