Diribe Welteji suspended until 2027 for anti-doping violation, silver medal annulled

Ethiopian midfielder Diribe Welteji, runner-up in the world 1500 meters in 2023, she was suspended for two years by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (TAS), after violating anti-doping rules. The decision, released this Thursday, establishes a period of ineligibility starting on July 8, 2025, already counting the time of provisional suspension served by the athlete.

The sanction results from a process initiated by the Athletics Integrity Unit, an independent body linked to World Athletics, after the runner refused, without valid justification, to provide a sample in an out-of-competition control. Ethiopia’s anti-doping agency had initially concluded there was no infringement, but the decision was challenged and referred to international arbitration.

The court understood that there was an “atypical and unintentional failure”, recognizing the athlete’s disciplinary history and the existence of language barriers, but considered that there was negligence incompatible with a high-level competitor. For this reason, he chose to apply a two-year suspension, less than the four years requested by the accusing entity.

The suspension extends until June 2027 and implies the annulment of all results obtained since February 25, 2025. Among them is the silver medal won at the Short Track World Championships in Nanjing, China, as well as the personal record of 3.51.44 minutes achieved at a meeting in Eugene, now invalidated. The athlete’s official best time thus returns to 3.52.75, a mark obtained in Paris.

Welteji, 23, has not competed since July 2025. The runner stood out internationally by winning silver at the Budapest 2023 World Athletics Championships and finishing fourth at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Before the provisional suspension, declared in September, she was preparing to participate in the World Championships held in Tokyo, Japan.

With the decision now confirmed, the athlete It will only be able to return to international competition from the 2027 season onwards, being away from the main global championships for two full years.