Olympics: Irish boxer Michael O’Reilly fails drugs test

Irish middleweight boxer Michael O’Reilly has been notified of an alleged violation of a doping rule.

The boxer, who was included in the Olympic draw on Thursday morning, was informed of the alleged offence by Sport Ireland in the afternoon.

O’Reilly (23) was due to compete on August 12th, having received a bye in the first round, and would have met a boxer from Mexico or Iraq for a place in the quarter-finals.

The athlete can now request to have a “B” sample tested but cannot participate in any competition or activity prior to the completion of an investigation.

First suspension

The Rio Olympics has not yet officially begun with the opening ceremony taking place this evening. It is the first time an Irish boxer has been suspended from an Olympic team for a doping violation.

“The Irish Athletic Boxing Association [IABA] has always maintained a zero-tolerance approach to doping and Irish boxing has been one of the most widely tested sports by the national anti-doping programme over the last number of years,” said a statement from the sport’s governing body in Ireland.

In a statement, the Olympic Council of Ireland said: “The athlete will now decide whether to accept a sanction for a doping violation, to request that a ‘B’ sample be tested, or to appeal the provisional suspension.”

Third seed

O’Reilly, from Clonmel but who boxes in Portlaoise, was seeded third in his 75kg weight division. He was seen as one of the outstanding talents in the sport and a Rio medal contender.

Last year, the 23-year-old pulled off one of the biggest surprises of the Baku European Games when he won gold. It is not known what substance was found in his “A” sample.

Irish coaches Eddie Bolger, John Conlan and Zaur Antia left the draw venue on Thursday without making any comment.