Albanian Athletics Federation chief banned for 5 years

By Can Erozden

ANKARA (AA) - Two Albanian Athletics Federation executives including the president on Wednesday were banned for multiple years for faking an athlete's result to help him qualify for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

"The AIU has banned Albanian Athletics Federation’s President, Gjergj Ruli, for 5 years and the Federation’s General Secretary, Nikolin Dionisi, for 4 years for breaches of the World Athletics’ Integrity Code of Conduct," the Athletics Integrity Unit said on Twitter.

The AIU said the duo were confirmed to have submitted a false competition result of Albanian long jumper Izmir Smajlaj on May 8, 2021 in Tirana, helping him join the Olympics held in the same year.

"Smajlaj, placed first in the Competition with a national record and personal best distance of 8.16 metres and this result contributed to him securing a universality place to participate in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games (held in summer 2021). Ruli was Smajlaj’s coach and travelled to Tokyo with him," it said.

"The AIU had alleged that Ruli, Dionisi and Smajlaj conspired together and submitted falsified wind measurement readings relating to the Competition to World Athletics, and when requested for proof of wind measurement equipment being used at the competition, also submitted a falsified photograph to the AIU."

Meanwhile, the provisional suspension of Smajlaj was lifted as the AIU said it was uncertain if he was knowingly involved in the forgery.

Smajlaj, 30, who won a gold medal at the 2017 European Athletics Indoor Championships, also competed at the Rio 2016 Olympics.

At the Tokyo Olympics, Smajlaj did not advance to the final after ending the qualifying stage in lower ranks.