MMA bronze medalist tests positive for doping at Asian Games — first medalist caught

A medalist at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games has tested positive for a banned substance for the first time at the Games.

Nodirбек Shabkatov of Uzbekistan, the bronze medalist in the MMA modern men's 71kg division, has been provisionally suspended after returning a positive doping test, AFP reported.

Meldonium, a drug used in the treatment of heart conditions, was detected in Shabkatov's sample. The substance is banned in sport for its effects in boosting endurance and accelerating muscle recovery.

Shabkatov is the third athlete at the Games to receive a provisional suspension for a positive doping test — and the first medalist to be caught. On Saturday, meldonium was also found in a sample from Dayanci Keletliyev of Turkmenistan, who competed in karate.

Shabkatov may appeal the provisional suspension and request further analysis of a second sample. If that test also returns positive, he could be stripped of his bronze medal.

South Korea's Choi Eun-seok was eliminated from the tournament after losing to Shabkatov in the quarterfinals.