SI.com · Dec 9, 2022
Albanian Olympian Suspended for Allegedly Using False Qualifying Information
A long jumper and two Albanian officials could face international competition bans after they were accused of submitting false qualifying information to get the athlete into the Tokyo Olympics last summer.
The Athletics Integrity Unit said Friday that it had charged long jumper Izmir Smajlaj, along with Albanian track federation president Gjergj Ruli and general secretary Nikolin Dionis, for disciplinary offenses related to a competition held in Albania in May 2021, two months before the Tokyo Olympics began. Smajlaj was named the winner of the long jump event at the competition, where he reportedly set a national-record jump of 8.16 meters.