Bahrain Athletics Faces Sanctions over Doping

Bahrain's track team faces significant sanctions from World Athletics due to serious anti-doping violations, which will halt their strategy of naturalizing athletes from Africa. Following an 18-month investigation by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU), Bahrain's participation in the Paris 2024 Olympics and the Tokyo 2025 World Championships will be limited to a maximum of 10 athletes. The Bahrain Athletics Association (BAA) admitted to negligence in doping practices and hired banned coaches, leading to a 12-month suspension from other World Athletics Series events starting June 2024. Key athletes like Winfred Yavi and Salwa Eid Naser are not implicated in the violations but are affected by the sanctions. Bahrain has agreed to stop recruiting foreign athletes until 2027 and will focus on developing local talent through new funding and a national anti-doping body. These measures come amid a history of doping issues within Bahrain's athletics community.