Qatari middle-distance runner handed a two-year doping ban after biological passport irregularities

The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) has confirmed the two-year doping ban handed to Qatar's 2012 world junior 1500m champion Hamza Driouch.

The latest IAAF newsletter states how the 20-year-old's ban is to run from December 31, 2014, to December 30, 2016, following irregularities with the athlete's biological passport.

Driouch, who was born in Morocco, also won Asian Junior Championships 1500m gold and 800m silver in 2012 and made it to the semi finals of the London 2012 Olympics. He ran his 1500m personal best of 3:33.69 in Doha in May 2012.

He clocked 3:39.04 when winning his world junior title in Barcelona in July 2012, finishing over a second clear of Kenya's Hillary Cheruiyot Ngetich and Morocco's Abdelhadi Labali.

Earlier on in his career Driouch claimed 1000m silver at the 2010 Summer Youth Olympics in Singapore behind the now world indoor and outdoor 800m champion Mohammed Aman and ahead of Britain's 2013 European under-23 1500m silver medallist Charlie Grice.