The 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, which opened on Saturday 23 September, have recorded two new cases of doping. The Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) made the announcement on Wednesday 4 October, four days before the Games closed. The first, revealed last Thursday, concerned an Afghan boxer, Mohammad Khaibar Nooristani. He tested positive for two banned substances, including norandrosterone. The second case concerned a Saudi long-distance runner, Mohammed Yousef Al-Asiri. A 5,000m and 10,000m runner, he tested positive for darbepoetin (dEPO) in an out-of-competition doping test carried out on 26 September in Hangzhou by the International Testing Agency (ITA). He has been provisionally suspended. Finally, the ITA also caught a mountain bike specialist wearing the colours of the Philippines. Ariana Evangelista tested positive for EPO in an out-of-competition test on September 24, the day after the opening ceremony. She was able to take part in her event the following day, which she finished in 13th place. All three athletes can request a B sample.
