• Iran’s national anti-doping organisation (Iran NADO) has sanctioned six athletes for doping. Footballer Omid Abolhassani, a striker for Giti Pasand FC, has been sanctioned with a four year ban after testing positive for higenamine. Iran NADO also announced that two other athletes had been sanctioned with four year bans in the same statement. In addition, hammer throw athlete Leyla Koohkan has been sanctioned with a four year ban after testing positive for three prohibited substances (one of which is morphine); a cyclist has been sanctioned with a four year ban after testing positive for testosterone; and a rower has been sanctioned with a four year ban after testing positive for three substances.

• Israeli footballer Shir Tzedek has been sanctioned with an eight-month ban after returning an adverse analytical finding (AAF) for a ‘specified stimulant’, announced UEFA’s Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body on 2 February. UEFA did not name the stimulant concerned, however it is understood to be octopamine. UEFA said that neither the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) nor the player had appealed against its sanction, which is final.

• Serbian bodybuilders Aleksandra Komazeca and Nikolu Simonovića have been sanctioned with four year bans after testing positive at the Serbian National Championships on 28 October last year, Serbia’s national anti-doping organisation (AARS) announced. Komazeca returned an adverse analytical finding (AAF) for furosemide, whereas Simonovića returned an AAF for norandrosteone and stanozolol.