IBU provisionally bans biathlete for suspected doping

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 1:19 p.m. ET

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SALZBURG, Austria (AP) The International Biathlon Union has provisionally suspended an unidentified athlete for suspected doping following a test during a World Cup event last month.

The IBU says the athlete's sample tested positive for a substance which ''is defined under hormones and metabolic modulators'' and was added to the World Anti-Doping Agency's banned list on Jan. 1.

The IBU did not disclose the athlete's gender or nationality.

The IBU says it is waiting for the athlete to decide whether to test the backup ''B'' sample before referring the case to the union's anti-doping panel.

The athlete has been temporarily banned from all IBU competitions with immediate effect, including this weekend's World Cup in Canmore, Alberta.