Doping case in handball: Positive doping test: Portuguese misses the Handball World Cup

Portugal’s playmaker Miguel Martins missed the handball world championships because of a positive doping test from last year. The 27-year-old was excluded from the final tournament, the Portuguese association announced a few hours before the opening game against the USA.

The player himself, who is under contract with the Danish top club Aalborg HB, expressed surprise. “Yesterday I was informed that a sample I submitted as part of an anti-doping test contained a banned substance and that I am provisionally suspended from January 14, 2025. I was and still am deeply shocked by this information,” Martins wrote on Instagram.

Sample already a year old

This is mainly because the positive test came from the 2024 European Championship in Germany and was therefore a year ago. According to the association, Martins commented on the case within the legal deadline and submitted all documents “that he considered appropriate to clarify the situation that had arisen,” the association statement said.

There had been no development in the case as of Tuesday. Martins’ preventive World Cup exclusion therefore came as a surprise. The player immediately hired a lawyer and left the Portuguese team hotel in Oslo. “I will do everything possible to explain that I have always behaved according to all the rules in sport,” said Martins.

His club was also caught off guard by the suspension. “This is of course a huge shock to us and we immediately contacted Miguel, who is as baffled as we are and insists he has done nothing illegal. He immediately asked for the B test to get to the bottom of the matter, but it is clear that he will not take part in the World Cup,” said Aalborg managing director Jan Larsen.