FILE – The referee gestures to Ghana’s Shakul Samed during the men’s light heavy (75-81kg) preliminaries round of 16 boxing match against Turkey’s Bayram Malkan during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at the Kokugikan Arena in Tokyo on July 28, 2021. (Photo by Luis ROBAYO / AFP)
Ghanaian boxer Shakul Samed was Friday suspended by Commonwealth Games chiefs on day one of sporting action in Birmingham after failing a dope test.
The 23-year-old light heavyweight had been due to face Mauritius’s Luc Jean Rosalba in the first round of his competition.
“The Commonwealth Games Federation Anti-Doping and Medical Commission has confirmed that the sample of Shakul Samed, a boxer from Ghana, violated anti-doping rules for the 2022 Commonwealth Games,” read a CGF statement.
“His A sample was found to contain a prohibited substance (diuretic and masking agent — furosemide).
“He has therefore been suspended with immediate effect. He and the Ghana Commonwealth Games Association have been informed.”
Samed, who competed at the Tokyo Olympics, can opt to have his B sample tested before any charge is issued.