Iranian Gold medalist tests positive at World Wrestling Championships

CORSIER-SUR-VEVEY, SWITZERLAND—Iranian wrestler Amir Aziz Ali Akbari tested positive for anabolic steroids at the recent World Wrestling Championships and has been disqualified, stripped of his gold medal and banned for life.

The 120-kg gold medalist in Greco-Roman style wrestling took the world title in September in Budapest, Hungary.  Since this was his second positive doping test, he is no longer eligible to compete in FILA events.

With his vacated title, the silver medalist Heiki Nabi from Estonia, will rise to gold medalist.  Riza Kayaalp, from Turkey, will be awarded the silver medal and Nurmakhan Tinaliyev from Kazakhstan and Johan Magnus Euren from Sweden will be the bronze medalists in the weight class.

Nabi was a gold medalist in the 2006 World Championships and won a silver medal at the 2012 Olympic Games in London.

“We are serious about making our sport drug free and protecting those athletes who are abiding by the rules,” said FILA President Nenad Lalovic.  “It has not been a problem for us in the past and we want to continue that pattern in our sport.”

About FILA

FILA, the International Federation of Associated Wrestling Styles, is the global governing body of the sport of wrestling. It works to promote the sport and facilitate the activities of its 177 national federations from around the world. It is based in Corsier-sur-Vevey, Switzerland.

To learn more about FILA visit its official website, http://www.fila-official.com/; Facebook page, http://www.facebook.com/fila.official, or Twitter handle, @FILA_Official.

(For more information please contact FILA at 41.21 312 84 26 or Bob Condron, Press Officer, condron@fila-wrestling.com or rscondron@yahoo.com.

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