Jamaican 400m runner Christopher Taylor has been suspended for 30 months by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU), SportsMax.tv has learned.
Earlier this year, Taylor was charged by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) for violating the World Anti-Doping Agency's (WADA) Anti-Doping Code Article 2.3, after a six-month investigation determined that the 23-year-old evaded a doping test in November 2022.
WADA Anti-Doping Code Article 2.3 states: "Evading, Refusing or Failing to Submit to Sample Collection. The Evading Sample collection, or without compelling justification, refusing or failing to submit to Sample collection after notification as authorised in applicable anti-doping rules."
Taylor was reportedly contacted in November 2022 by anti-doping officials who had turned up to conduct a test at the location that he had indicated on his whereabouts form.
However, when the officials arrived, Taylor was not at the listed location and had not updated his whereabouts information. Instead, Taylor was at the Norman Manley International Airport, waiting to catch a flight that had previously been booked on his behalf.
Athletes who are a part of the registered testing pool are required to provide certain information, which is used by anti-doping organisations to locate athletes for out-of-competition testing.
If an athlete is deemed to have violated WADA Anti-Doping Code Article 2.3 which speaks to "Evading, Refusing or Failing to Submit to Sample Collection", a two or four-year ban is mandatory.
One year of the 30-month suspension has already elapsed.
Taylor, a finalist at the 2021 Olympics in Tokyo and the 2022 World Championships in Eugene, will be eligible to compete again as on May 2025.
He last competed in August 2022.