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Kazakhstani boxer Kanat Islam has shared his perspective on the doping allegations surrounding his compatriot، Janibek Alimkhanuly، pointing to a lack of qualified specialists within the boxer's team as the primary cause.

The Role of Specialists

Islam، an Olympic medalist himself، believes that Alimkhanuly's team lacks the expertise to prevent the presence of banned substances in an athlete's system. Drawing from his own experiences، Islam emphasized the critical importance of understanding the composition of food and supplements provided to athletes.

"There isn't a good specialist next to Janibek. Of course، those around him do their best to take care of him. You could even say they prepare day and night. I've been through a similar situation. But he doesn't know the composition of the food and supplements given to the athlete. When I was with the Chinese team، we had special classes every day about the composition of all the substances we used، even the creams applied to the joints،" Islam stated.

Expertise Needed for the Kazakh Team

Kanat Islam also stressed the necessity of such a specialist for the Kazakhstan national team. He feels this professional should educate boxers on how substances can affect them، as some athletes still mistakenly believe doping is limited to injections.

"We need a specialist in the Kazakhstan team who can explain to the boxers how things work. Because we still have athletes who think doping is just an injection. But a banned substance can be present in any medication، for example، in medicine taken to treat a cold،" he concluded.

Dismissing Deception Claims

Kanat Islam refuted the notion that Alimkhanuly was intentionally misled. In his view، the situation arose due to the absence of a competent professional in the team.

"A lot is being said. I can only say one thing: he doesn't have a good specialist on his team، and that's why this situation occurred. There should be a specialist who can read analyses، explain hormone levels، and advise on what to avoid or add. As for promoters، it doesn't matter to them who you are. Their priority is to advance their business and make money،" Islam said.

Janibek Alimkhanuly's Doping Case

It's worth recalling that in early December، middleweight world champion under WBO and IBF regulations، Janibek Alimkhanuly، became embroiled in a controversy after a doping test. A banned substance was found in his blood، leading to the cancellation of his third title fight against Erislandy Lara. The athlete failed the doping test and was urgently removed from the card. Alimkhanuly is accused of using meldonium، a substance banned by anti-doping agencies since 2016.

A month and a half later، the 'B' sample of the doping test was opened، confirming the presence of the banned substance in the Kazakhstani's blood. However، the boxer's team maintains his innocence، and the WBO and IBF have not stripped Alimkhanuly of his belts، keeping him as the middleweight division's leader in the rankings.

This information was reported by the Infohub.kz news agency.