JOHANNESBURG - Leading South African sprinter Simon Magakwe will miss the 2016 Olympic Games after refusing to take an out-of-competition doping test, the national association announced Wednesday.
South Africa's Simon Magakwe (2nd R) competes in the heats of the men's 100m athletics event at Hampden Park during the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland, on July 27, 2014
The defiance of the 28-year-old 100-metre runner triggered a two-year ban from international athletics, ruling him out of the Rio Olympics and the world championship in Beijing this year.
National athletics association president Aleck Skhosana said the former African 100m champion was asked to take the test in South Africa last December, but declined.
"IAAF (International Association of Athletics Federations) rules must be observed," Skhosana said.
Magakwe did not appeal the ban, which runs until late January 2017.
He is the only South African to run a sub 10-second 100m, clocking 9.98 at the national championships last year.