Ethiopian Marathon Star Ruti Aga Banned Six Years For Doping, Forged Medical Document

Ethiopian long-distance runner Ruti Aga has been handed a six-year ban by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) after being found guilty of anti-doping rule violations involving a prohibited substance and tampering with the doping control process.

The suspension follows a positive test for methylprednisolone, a prohibited glucocorticoid, and an investigation that established that the athlete submitted a forged medical document in an attempt to explain the substance’s presence in her system.

According to the AIU’s decision, Aga provided an in-competition urine sample on March 15, 2026, during the Meishan Renshou Half Marathon in China.

Analysis conducted by the World Anti-Doping Agency-accredited laboratory in Beijing on March 31 revealed the presence of methylprednisolone.

The AIU subsequently established that Aga did not possess a Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE) authorising the use of the substance and that there were no apparent irregularities in the testing or laboratory procedures.

During an interview with AIU investigators on April 21, Aga explained that she had been suffering from a knee injury since April 2025 and had received treatment from medical practitioners in Ethiopia and China.

She claimed that a doctor at a clinic in Addis Ababa had prescribed methylprednisolone to treat the injury and subsequently administered an injection at her home approximately one week before the race in China.

However, the investigation took a dramatic turn when the athlete submitted a medical prescription purportedly issued by the Urael Medium Clinic on February 11, 2026.

The document indicated that she had been prescribed Depo-Medrol, containing methylprednisolone acetate, but failed to specify a diagnosis or when the medication was administered.

Suspicious of the document’s authenticity, the AIU requested assistance from the Ethiopian Anti-Doping Authority (ETH-ADA).

Investigators discovered that the clinic named in the document could not be identified, while the St. Urael Internal Medicine Specialty Clinic, which had a similar name, confirmed that Aga had never received treatment at its facility.

The clinic also denied issuing the prescription and confirmed that the individual identified as the prescribing doctor had never worked there.

Further investigations established that the individual was not registered or licensed as a medical practitioner with the relevant Addis Ababa authority.

The individual, who was identified as a family member of Aga, admitted to treating the athlete at her home and using an old prescription pad from a clinic where they claimed to have previously worked.

The AIU consequently concluded that the medical document submitted by Aga had been forged or manipulated, constituting a separate anti-doping rule violation for tampering or attempted tampering with the doping control process.

On September 10, 2026, the AIU formally charged the Ethiopian athlete with three violations covering the presence of a prohibited substance, its use, and tampering or attempted tampering.

Aga was given opportunities to respond to the charges and potentially secure a one-year reduction in her suspension by admitting the violations and accepting the consequences.

However, she failed to respond within the stipulated deadlines, prompting the AIU to determine that she had waived her right to a hearing and was deemed to have accepted the charges and sanctions.

Under the applicable anti-doping regulations, the presence and use of methylprednisolone attracted a two-year suspension, while the tampering violation carried an additional four-year ban.

The AIU ruled that the penalties must be served consecutively, bringing the total period of ineligibility to six years.

Although the suspension officially commenced on September 10, 2026, the date of her provisional suspension, the AIU also ordered the disqualification of all Aga’s results from March 15, 2026.

The disqualification includes the forfeiture of any medals, titles, awards, ranking points, prizes, prize money and appearance fees earned during the affected period.

The decision means Aga will remain ineligible to compete until September 2032, subject to any subsequent modification of the sanction.