Irish boxer out of Rio after failed dope test

RIO DE JANEIRO: Irish boxing star Michael O’Reilly, who was told on the eve of the Rio Olympics that he had failed a dope test, is out of the Games, officials confirmed on Wednesday.

O’Reilly, who won the European Games middleweight title last year, was scheduled to fight on Friday after receiving a bye in the first round but that will now be a walkover in favour of Mexico’s Misael Rodriguez.

The 23-year-old was provisionally suspended and is now fighting to save his career. “The boxer Michael O’Reilly, from Ireland, in the evening of August 9, withdrew from the Olympics,” said an official statement.