Turkish Boxer Tugrulhan Erdemir Banned for Doping Violation

Turkish light middleweight boxer Tugrulhan Erdemir has received a two-year ban from the Court of Arbitration for Sport for breaching anti-doping rules. The boxer tested positive for hydrochlorothiazide, a prohibited diuretic and masking agent. This suspension disqualifies him from participation in major competitions.

Turkish light middleweight boxer Tugrulhan Erdemir faces a two-year ban issued by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) after breaching anti-doping regulations, as announced by the International Testing Agency (ITA) on Friday. This decision follows a provisional suspension confirmed by CAS in July, which already barred Erdemir from competing in the 71kg event at the Paris Olympics. In a subsequent hearing in October, the court upheld the anti-doping rule violations.

In their statement, ITA disclosed that Erdemir had returned an Atypical Finding (ATF) for hydrochlorothiazide, identified as a diuretic and masking agent under the 2024 WADA Prohibited list (Section S.5). These substances can obscure the presence of banned materials in tests, complicating the detection of doping violations.

The incident stems from a failed doping test on February 17. As a result, all competitive results obtained by the 25-year-old as of that date will be annulled. This includes Erdemir's achievement of a bronze medal in the light middleweight category at the previous year's European Games held in Poland.

(With inputs from agencies.)