Spanish federation clears Bezabeh of doping

The Disciplinary Committee of the Spanish Athletics Federation (RFEF) on Monday absolved Alemayehu Bezabeh of "intention of doping" - equivalent to the crime of doping itself, according to the World Anti-Doping Code - as regulated by the International Association of Athletics Federations.

The Spanish Federation concluded there "was not sufficient evidence to constitute a conduct of infraction," on the part of Bezabeh, who was arrested and suspended from competition in the ongoing Operation Greyhound scandal engulfing Spanish track and field. The resolution was co-signed by the president of the Disciplinary Committee, Luis Landa Sanguinetti and the RFEF secretary general, José Luis de Carlos.

The committee's chairperson, Ana María Ros, had originally called for Bezabeh, the European cross-country champion, to be banned for a year. Bezabeh, a Spanish citizen since 2008, was arrested last December in the company of his coach, Manuel Pascua, one of the suspected ringleaders of Greyhound, on his way to El Escorial outside Madrid to meet with Alberto León, a former mountain bike racer and alleged number two to Eufemiano Fuentes, the suspected mastermind of Greyhound. According to the Civil Guard investigation into Greyhound, Bezabeh was due to receive a transfusion of his own blood, which had been extracted a month beforehand.

Immediately after his arrest, Bezabeh reported to the RFEF and explained to its president, José María Odriozola, that he believed León was a doctor and that the blood sample was to be analyzed to detect a suspected kidney problem. León later committed suicide, while Fuentes is under investigation for his links to Greyhound and Operation Puerto, the 2006 doping ring that rocked international cycling.

Bezabeh was suspended in January 12, which impeded him from defending his European title. He also had his funding quashed and was ordered to leave the Blume high-performance center outside Madrid, where he lived. Now living with his partner and child in a rented apartment, Bezabeh has been cleared to compete again, although the Spanish Anti-Doping Commission has the right to appeal. The state-run CSD sports council is studying the possibility of an appeal.

Investigations into Greyhound are ongoing, with several high-profile athletes, including Marta Domínguez, Nuria Fernández and Reyes Estévez, having had their grants for 2011 frozen.