The world of middle-distance running has been rocked after the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) upheld a two-year ban on Ethiopian star Diribe Welteji. The ruling, finalized on Thursday, February 26, 2026, officially disqualifies nearly a year of elite performances and forces the 23-year-old athlete to forfeit several major honors following an anti-doping rule violation.
The suspension traces back to February 2025, when Welteji failed to provide a doping control sample to testing officials at her home. Although an Ethiopian national tribunal initially cleared her of intentional wrongdoing last August, World Athletics and the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) appealed the decision to CAS.
The CAS arbitrator found that Welteji was “negligent” in refusing to comply with testing personnel. While acknowledging potential language barriers and minor procedural departures by the testers, the court stressed that an athlete of Welteji’s calibre is expected to fully understand and comply with the strict requirement to submit to testing, regardless of circumstances.
The consequences of the CAS decision are extensive. All competitive results obtained by Welteji from February 25, 2025, through the date of the CAS award are now disqualified. This includes:
- World Indoor Silver Medal: Welteji has been stripped of the 1,500m silver medal she won at the 2025 World Athletics Indoor Championships in Nanjing, China. The medal will now be awarded to Great Britain’s Georgia Bell.
- Historic Personal Best Annulled: Her 1,500m personal best of 3:51.44, set at the 2025 Prefontaine Classic and the 8th fastest time in history at the time, has been erased from official records.
- Prize Money and Awards Forfeited: All titles, awards, and prize money earned during the disqualification period—including significant earnings from the inaugural Grand Slam Track season—must be returned.
- Event Results Nullified: Other major race results, including Diamond League placings and Grand Prix points accrued during the affected period, have been voided.
The two-year ban is set to run until June 30, 2027. Welteji’s suspension forced her to miss the Tokyo 2025 World Championships, where she had been considered one of the top medal contenders in the 1,500m. Despite World Athletics initially requesting a four-year ban, the CAS ruling reduced the sanction to two years, leaving a potential window for Welteji to return to competition in time for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
The decision serves as a stark reminder of the strict liability principle in international athletics, which holds athletes fully responsible for complying with anti-doping protocols. Even high-level competitors with extraordinary talent are expected to adhere to the rules, with no exceptions for misunderstandings or technical issues.
Ethiopia loses one of its brightest rising stars in middle-distance running, and the disqualification reshapes the results and standings from a year of major competitions. The ruling will have ripple effects across medal tables, rankings, and prize allocations in both domestic and international meets.
For Welteji, the period ahead will be defined by the challenge of rebuilding her career and regaining competitive momentum once her ban concludes. In the meantime, the athletics community is reminded of the rigorous standards that govern the sport and the consequences athletes face when anti-doping requirements are not met.
