KIEV — World and European indoor shot-put champion Alexander Bagach has been cleared by the Ukrainian Athletic Federation (UAF) after earlier failing a dope test, officials said on Thursday.

Valery Alexandrov, vice-president of the UAF, told Reuters that Bagach tested positive in February for an anabolic steroid.

But he said the UAF had cleared Bagach of doping and were sending the case to the International Amateur Athletic Federation for confirmation.

As the sport’s ruling body, the IAAF can accept the UAF’s findings or, if it disagrees, send the case to its doping commission and on to arbitration.

Aleandrov said: ‘We’re simply shocked to know the dose itself was huge enough to kill a horse. I don’t think he [Bagach] would do that to himself even for the sake of winning a medal.

‘Based on these facts, our federation was unable to prove Bagach guilty of the doping offence, therefore we have asked the IAAF to drop the case against him.’

Alexandrov said Bagach, who took a bronze medal at the 1996 Atlanta Games, strongly denied knowingly having taken drugs and hopes to compete in Sydney.

‘So far, we have reserved a spot for him on our 55-man strong Olympic squad,’ said Alexandrov.

Bagach risks a life ban if he were to be found guilty of doping by the IAAF as he has already served a two-year suspension for failing a dope test in 1988.

The 34-year-old was also stripped of his outdoor title just five days after winning in Athens in 1997, having tested positive for the banned stimulant ephedrine.

Source: SOCOG