Turkey bans runner Elvan Abeylegesse for two years

The disciplinary committee of Turkish Athletic Federation has banned Turkish runner Elvan Abeylegesse for two years, it was announced Thursday.

Abeylegesse had tested positive for using drugs in the 2005 and 2007 world championships. However, the Ethiopian-born athlete later sued the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) for its "technical failures" in her retrospective analysis.

Abeylegesse appealed to the Monaco administrative court, claiming the international association had made mistakes in her retrospective analysis of her urine samples from the 2005 and 2007 championships.

Her agent Onder Ozbilen dismissed the decision of Turkey's federation.

"The decision of the disciplinary committee of Turkish Athletic Federation is unlawful while the case in Monaco is underway," Ozbilen told Anadolu Agency.

In the 2007 world championships in Osaka, Japan, Elvan Abeylegesse came second in the 10,000-meter race. She also won silver medals in the 5,000- and 10,000-meter races in the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.