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Mustapha El Aziz. Photo credit: News1.news

The Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) has suspended Morocco’s Mustapha El Aziz for testing positive for erythropoietin (EPO).

The AIU announced that El Aziz tested positive at a road race in Karlovac, Croatia in June and again one week later at an event in Langueux, France.

He is the 2014 silver medallist from the African Championships in the 10,000-metre event.

Apparently, he will be stripped of the results in both of the European races where he won the Karlovac event and finished second in Langueux.

His half-marathon personal best is from 2016, when he set a Moroccan record in Valencia, Spain with an outstanding performance of 59:29. His marathon best is 2:07:55.

German broadcaster ARD, famous for outing the Russian Athletics Federation leading to their ban as well as doping in Kenya, on October 4 aired a program about rampant doping in Morocco.

For example, they exposed Amine Laalou who has run as fast as 1:43.25 in the 800-metres – their national record. He continues to be involved with athletics. Currently, he is coaching children. He also owns a best of 3:29.53 in the 1500m.

Morocco was removed from the World Anti-Doping Agency’s watch list. ARD implies that they need to be back and under the scrutiny of watchful eyes.

During the video, they warn of the dubious celebrity cult in Morocco, where doped athletes are celebrated by their federation, not unlike the systematic doping problem in Russia.

For this, Morocco must also be banned, just like Russia.