Qatari held by Spanish police, says official

DOHA: Qatari middle-distance runner Musaeb Abdulrahman Balla was detained by Spanish police on Tuesday as part of an investigation into doping, a Qatari official

DOHA: Qatari middle-distance runner Musaeb Abdulrahman Balla was detained by Spanish police on Tuesday as part of an investigation into doping, a Qatari official said.

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“We understand he (Balla) is in police detention,” the government official, who declined to be named as he was not authorised to speak publicly, said on Wednesday.

Spanish police declined to name the person.

Sudanese- born Balla, 27, became the first Qatari to reach a final at a world championships when he finished sixth in the 800 metres in Beijing last year.