France’s Frere handed two-year ban over anti-doping offence

PARIS (Agencies): French marathon runner Mehdi Frere looks set to miss out on the Olympics after he was handed a two-year ban by World Athletics over a doping offence, his lawyer said on Tuesday. The 27-year-old Frere is alleged to have missed three anti-doping tests in the space of 12 months, therefore breaching the “whereabouts” rule. Frere will appeal before the Court of Arbitration for Sport, lawyer Laurent Fellous said. “The disciplinary committee of World Athletics has suspended Mr Frere for two years,” Fellous said. “Mr Frere naturally intends to assert his rights before the Court of Arbitration for Sport by means of an accelerated procedure in order to obtain an arbitration award before the start of the Olympic Games, or at the very least before the marathon event,” Fellous said. The Paris 2024 marathon is scheduled for Aug. 10. Frere’s personal best on the marathon is two hours five minutes and 43 seconds.