Olympics: Moroccan runner expelled for doping

London - Moroccan 1,500 metres runner Amine Laalou is out of the Olympics after testing positive for a banned substance, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) said on Saturday.

Laalou, an Olympic semifinalist four years ago, won gold at the IAAF Continental Cup in 2010.

“They were both pre-Games testing and it shows that that system is working,” IOC spokesman Mark Adams said, referring to Laalou and Russian track cyclist Victoria Baranova, who told R-Sport Friday that she had taken artificial testosterone.

“I am not an expert on doping but I think, in terms of the level, we have at the moment a very low level indeed of positive tests,” Adams said.

Laalou tested positive for furosemide, a diuretic used as a masking agent, after last month’s Diamond League meeting in Monaco, French newspaper L’Equipe reported on Friday.