(Reuters) – World half marathon record holder Abraham Kiptum has been provisionally suspended by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) for an Athlete Biological Passport (ABP) violation, the AIU said on Friday.
London Marathon organizers said Kenyan Kiptum had left London and will not take part in Sunday’s race.
“The AIU confirms a provisional suspension against Kenyan long-distance runner Abraham Kiptum for an Athlete Biological Passport (ABP) violation under the IAAF (International Association of Athletics Federations) Anti-Doping Rules,” the AIU said in a statement.
The passport uses blood tests to detect the likelihood of doping rather than testing for specific substances. The AIU states provisional suspensions are mandatory under IAAF anti-doping rules.
“We have a zero-tolerance policy on doping,” London Marathon director Hugh Brasher said in a statement.
“London is part of the Abbott World Marathon Majors and we recently announced a groundbreaking extensive intelligence-driven testing program.
“This shows the program is working. Cheats will be caught and there is no place for them in marathon running.”
Kiptum, 29, set the half-marathon world record (58 minutes and 18 seconds) in the Valencia half-marathon in Spain last year.
Reporting by Rohith Nair in Bengaluru, editing by Ed Osmond