Iraqi sprinter Dana Hussein temporarily suspended from Tokyo 2020 after failing drug test

The 100m and 200m specialist blames plastic surgery for testing positive

Dana Hussein takes part in the Arab Championships in Tunis in June, 2021.

Iraqi athlete Dana Hussein has been temporarily suspended from taking part in the Olympics after testing positive for cortisone during the Arab Championship.

The sprinter responded by claiming she underwent plastic surgery which contained the substance that caused her to fail the test.

Haitham Abdel Hamid, head of the Iraqi contingent in Tokyo, confirmed that the Iraqi Olympic Committee had received a letter from the IOC informing them of the suspension imposed on Hussein in accordance with World-Anti Doping Agency rules.

Hussein, 35, released a video on teammate Taha Hussein's Instagram account defending herself and adding it is a temporary suspension and that the official decision has not been released.

The procedure says that the athlete has a specific timeframe to respond to these allegations and present proof of their innocence. The decision of whether to ban the athlete or lift her suspension will be taken by the Court of Arbitration of Sport (CAS).

Maytham Al-Hasani, media co-ordinator of the Iraqi Athletics Federation, said: "There was no doping substance in the athlete’s sample, but rather a treatment programme after a cosmetic operation that Dana Hussein performed on the nose, and it is sad that she was denied participation in a tournament like this."

Hussein has been representing Iraq in the 100m and 200m, recording personal records this year.

She lowered her best time in the 100m from 11.84secs in 2019 to 11.24secs at the Arab Championship in Tunis, where she won the title.

Hussein qualified for Tokyo 2020 after running 22.51secs in the 200m – her second gold medal of the Arab Championship held in June.

Hussein is considered a star in her home country. In 2011, she won gold in the 100m, silver in the 200m and bronze in the 400m at the Pan-Arab Games held in Doha, Qatar.

She was the only athlete to train in Iraq and compete at the Beijing Games. In 2012, she was the flag bearer at the opening ceremony. Tokyo would be her third Olympic participation.