The Athletics Integrity Unit, AIU, the body whose principal responsibility is to protect the integrity of the sport of track and field has warned athletes not to associate with those who have been sanctioned for violating the World Athletics Anti-Doping rules.
In a tweet on its verified twitter handle on Wednesday, the AIU says those who fraternise with banned athletes will also be deemed to have violated the anti-doping rules.
‘Should you associate with athletes or support personnel who have been sanctioned?,’ the body asked in the tweet and provided the answer in the next sentence.
‘That would be Prohibited Association – an anti-doping rule violation and could lead you to be sanctioned too,’ warned the AIU in the tweet.
Under the World Athletics Anti-Doping rules, athletes are responsible for knowing what substances and methods are prohibited, and are personally liable for any prohibited substance found in their system.
The presence of a prohibited substance in an athlete’s sample, or the use of a prohibited substance or a prohibited method, constitutes a doping offence under the World Athletics rules.