PYEONGCHANG, South Korea: Japanese short-track speedskater Kei Saito has tested positive for a banned diuretic in the first doping case of the Pyeongchang Olympics.
Saito, a reserve on the 5,000-meter relay team, tested positive for acetalozamide, which can be used to treat conditions such as glaucoma and altitude sickness but can also be a masking agent to disguise the use of other banned substances.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport announced the case Tuesday, saying Saito “accepted on a voluntary basis to be provisionally suspended and to leave the Olympic Village.”
Saito did not race in any event before the test result from a pre-competition sample was confirmed. CAS said its judging panel handling Olympic doping cases will issue a final verdict after the games are over.
The Japanese Olympic Committee said Saito was tested after training on February 4, just before he went to bed in the athletes village.
In a statement, Saito denied intentionally doping and said he was “extremely shocked” by the results.
“I have never considered doping. I have never used anabolic steroids so I have never needed to try to hide it,” he said in the statement.
He said he accepted the provisional suspension because “I do not want to be a disturbance to my teammates competing at the Olympic Games ... and will leave the team and the athletes village voluntarily.”
Yasuo Saito, Vice President of the Japan Olympic Committee, said the JOC would work to help the 21-year-old skater clear his name after the Olympics.
“At this point, all we know is that the sample A and sample B tested positive. It is impossible for us to submit any evidence that prove them otherwise during the limited time,” Japan’s delegation leader said. “That is why we had to go with the provisional measure. The violation of the anti-doping rules has not been proven, so it is not decided yet. So please understand that point.
“Saito has no idea why this has happened, so we as Japanese Olympic team continue to make every effort to prove that there was no anti-rule violation by Kei Saito.”
Japanese skater suspended in first doping case in Pyeongchang Winter Olympics
Japanese skater suspended in first doping case in Pyeongchang Winter Olympics
Stars ready to shine at Bapco Energies Bahrain Championship
- Past winner Dylan Frittelli returns as stellar field descends on Royal Golf Club for third edition of tournament
BAHRAIN: The Bapco Energies Bahrain Championship welcomes a stellar field to Royal Golf Club this week as the third edition of the tournament tees off from Thursday, Jan. 29 to Sunday, Feb. 1.
Held under the patronage of King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, the $2.75 million DP World Tour event features defending champion Laurie Canter, past winner Dylan Frittelli and major champions Padraig Harrington, Patrick Reed — fresh from his victory at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic — and Sergio Garcia in a field packed with international talent.
South African Frittelli, who claimed victory when the tournament returned to the DP World Tour in 2024, is relishing the prospect of returning to a venue that holds fond memories.
“I love it,” Frittelli said. “Obviously, I won the tournament two years ago. I’ve got fond memories of the golf course, but I really do enjoy the country as well. I stayed in the city the first year, and then last year I managed to stay on the Arabian Gulf — beautiful ocean, beautiful beach, and wonderful resort.
“I also love the cool aircraft flying over — some military helicopters — I’m an aviation guy, so on the golf course I’m often just staring up at those. It’s a wonderful place and I can’t wait to go back there.”
Jayden Schaper arrives in the Kingdom as the current leader in the Race to Dubai rankings. The 24-year-old South African has enjoyed a strong start to the 2026 season and is eager to continue his momentum on a course he knows well.
“I’ve played there the last two years and it’s a really cool place to be,” Schaper said. “The golf course is just pretty cool. It’s got a lot of character, and the weather conditions are always tougher when you get out there. There’s a lot more slope than what we’re used to, but it’s a good track. The tournament is part of a big few weeks of golf across the Middle East and I’m looking forward to getting back there — Bahrain is definitely a place I’d like to get out and see a bit more of.”
Germany’s Marcel Siem, a six-time DP World Tour winner, is also looking forward to the return to Bahrain — the third of four events in the Middle East as part of the tour’s international swing.
“It’s always a fantastic stretch — the Middle East stretch, Siem said. “It’s easy travelling and having Bahrain the third one in a row, I’m really looking forward to it. It’s a great golf course. It’s most of the time quite windy there as well, a bit windier than in Dubai.
“The players’ lounge is great, the facilities are great, the golf course itself is really fun to play. It’s a risk and reward golf course, a little bit, which suits me. Really looking forward to it.”
The field includes Spain’s Nacho Elvira, who won the Dubai Invitational two weeks ago, France’s Julien Guerrier, and rising stars such as 2025 Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year Martin Couvra and Spain’s Angel Hidalgo. Three Bahraini golfers — Ahmed Al-Zayed, Khalifa Al-Maraisi and Ali Al-Kowari — will also compete after earning their places through the national qualifying pathway, showing the growth of the game in the kingdom.
