CAIRO, Egypt's Olympic hopeful Ihab Abdelrahman, a silver medallist in the men's javelin at last year's world championship, has been suspended for failing a doping test. The Egyptian was seen as one of Julius Yego's threats in the upcoming Olympics.
"We received news that Ihab has failed a doping test. We have asked for sample B to be tested. We hope the result is negative," Egyptian Olympic Committee president Hisham Hatab told Reuters.
Abdelrahman has protested his innocence in a television interview.
"I am a million per cent innocent," he said. "I have been taking food supplements since 2013 and passed every previous test.
"I feel like I'm in a nightmare. It's impossible I have put myself in this situation.
"I did urine and blood tests in February and the results were negative. I was also tested in May and the result was negative. Why is this the only positive result? Why did this happen at this time."
Egypt's anti-doping authority NADO said Abdelrahman was tested in April and his A sample gave a positive reading at a lab in Barcelona.
The 27-year-old secured Egypt's first medal at a major athletic championship in Beijing last year and was the country's biggest hope for a medal at next month's Rio Games.
Meanwhile, Canoeing's governing body has banned five Russians, including a gold medallist and a five-times world champion, from next month's Rio Olympics after an explosive independent report revealed state-run doping across Russian sport.