Doha : In a disappointing development, Aisha Al Beloushi, the UAE weightlifter who made history by becoming the first woman from the Arabian Gulf to win a medal in a weightlifting competition, has been stripped of her medal because of substance abuse.
The UAE National Olympic Committee (NOC) has decided to suspend Aisha from all local and international competitions and to strip the silver medal she won in the 58kg-category.
She had taken a medicine that contained prohibited drugs without consulting the doctors accompanying the UAE delegation in the 12th Arab Games, or her coach or team manager.
Aisha was admitted to Hamad Hospital on the night she won the medal for neck and back pains after a freak accident during the competitions.
"This is sad news and proves once again the ignorance of our athletes about what medicines they should take or not to take and the necessity of consulting the doctors about all medicines, however simple they are," Abdul Mohsin Al Dossary, the head of the UAE delegation, told Gulf News.
"The UAE NOC had conducted dope tests on all the athletes who were taking part in the Games and all were cleared, except Aisha, who had taken some medicine on the banned list in the past few days [before the competition] without consulting the doctor of the team. She will be suspended by the organisers anyway, but the UAE NOC has suspended her and asked her to return the medal she won. These incidents harm the reputation of our sport and our athletes," he said.
