KITAMURA BANNED 2 YEARS AFTER POSITIVE DOPING TEST

TOKYO (June 13) – National greco-roman team regular Katsuya Kitamura has been handed a two-year ban from competition after testing for positive for a prohibited substance at the men's national invitational tournament and world team trials in April.

Kitamura had apparently qualified for his third straight world team at 96kg in April, but then tested positive in a doping control test after the competition. The Japan Anti-Doping Agency (JADA) ran the second test and confirmed the result on May 17.

JADA notified the Japan Wrestling Federation, which struck Kitamura's invitational results from the record and handed the wrestler a two-year ban beginning on May 17.

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has also notified the international wrestling federation (FILA) of the positive test results with wrestling's world governing body expected to place a similar two-year ban on Kitamura.

Kitamura tested positive for drostanolone, an anabolic steroid which can be found in some nutritional supplements. It was not clear whether or not Kitamura had been taking any dietary supplements.

According to an Internet website, drostanolone is used by some athletes in sports with weight categories since it helps an athlete maintain strength while losing weight.

At the JWF press conference, executive director Yuji Takada apologized for the incident, adding that national team wrestlers would be required to attend a seminar on doping at the national team training camps in Tokyo in the last half of June.

A special wrestle-off for Kitamura's vacated slot on the world team will be held July 13 between invitational runner-up Takahiro Mori and Yuji Yamamoto, a fifth-place finisher at the Asian championships in May.