Ethiopian Runner Mosisa Siyoum Handed Eight-Year Ban For EPO Doping, Tampering

Ethiopian distance runner Mosisa Siyoum has been handed an eight-year ban by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) after testing positive for erythropoietin (EPO) and committing a further anti-doping violation involving the submission of forged or manipulated medical documents.

The 27-year-old international-level athlete was found to have committed violations relating to the presence and use of a prohibited substance, as well as tampering with the results-management process, according to the AIU decision.

The suspension took effect from May 5, 2026, the date of his provisional suspension. His results from December 13, 2025, onwards have also been disqualified, with the forfeiture of any medals, titles, awards, points, prizes, prize money and appearance money earned during the period.

Siyoum provided a urine sample after winning the one-mile event at the Al Sharqiyah International Race in Al Khobar, Saudi Arabia, on December 13, 2025. On March 1, 2026, a World Anti-Doping Agency-accredited laboratory in Doha, Qatar, reported the presence of EPO in the sample.

EPO is a prohibited substance under the World Anti-Doping Agency’s rules and is banned at all times.

During an interview with the AIU on May 14, Siyoum claimed he had collapsed at home several days before the sample collection and was taken by his wife to a health clinic in Sebeta, Ethiopia, where he was diagnosed with anaemia and given medication.

He subsequently submitted medical records which purported to show that he had received an EPO injection on December 3, 2025, as part of his treatment.

However, an investigation by the AIU, assisted by the Ethiopian Anti-Doping Authority, raised serious questions about the documents.

In a letter received on June 12, 2026, the health centre stated that the medical record number appearing on the documents did not belong to the facility and that the professional whose signature appeared on them was not among its staff.

The health centre later confirmed, in a supplementary letter received on August 27, that Siyoum had not attended the facility on December 3, 2025, contrary to his account.

The AIU consequently considered the medical documents submitted by the athlete to be forged or manipulated and concluded that the evidence supported an additional anti-doping rule violation for tampering with the results-management process.

Siyoum maintained his explanation during a second interview with the AIU in July, alleging that the health centre might be denying the documents because it had administered a prohibited substance to him.

On October 1, the AIU issued a formal Notice of Charge covering the three violations and proposed a total eight-year period of ineligibility.

The athlete did not respond by the October 8 deadline or request a hearing. Under the applicable anti-doping rules, he was therefore deemed to have waived his right to a hearing, admitted the violations and accepted the proposed consequences.

The AIU imposed four years of ineligibility for the presence and use of EPO and a further four years for tampering. Under the applicable rules, the two periods are to be served consecutively rather than concurrently.

Siyoum and the relevant anti-doping authorities retain the right to appeal the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne, Switzerland.