Abebe Aregawi, the 2013 women’s 1500m world champion, has been provisionally suspended after Meldonium was found in her A sample. Days later, Endeshaw Negesse, the 2015 Tokyo marathon with a personal best of 2:04.52, was also banned after reportedly testing positive for the same substance. This news came in the same week that Solomon Meaza, the general secretary of Ethiopia’s anti-doping agency, told the Associated Press that nine of the country’s runners, five of them “top athletes”, are under investigation for doping. Aregawi represents Sweden, but was born and resides in Ethiopia, and Negesse is also Ethiopian.

2013 world 1500m champion, Abebe Aregawi, tested positive (A sample) for meldonium

Meldonium is an anti-ischemic drug used clinically to treat angina, myocardial infarction and chronic heart failure. It is manufactured in Latvia under the commercial name of Mildronate and is one of the countries largest exports, with turnover reaching EUR 65 million in…