Kosovo gold medallist refused drug test before Rio

RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) - The International Judo Federation said on Monday that Kosovo's judo gold medallist Majlinda Kelmendi had refused to take an unscheduled drug test in France ahead of the Rio Games but that the procedure looked "questionable" and any sanction given would not be applied outside France. Just the previous day, Kelmendi made history at the Rio Games by becoming the first athlete from Kosovo to win an Olympic medal. The IJF said in an emailed statement to Reuters: "A control was done in June in France. The procedure is contested by the athlete and her coach and looks questionable at the level of the IJF. If sanction would be given, it would only apply on French territory." The Guardian newspaper quoted Agron Kuka, president of the Kosovo Judo Federation, as confirming that Kelmendi had refused the drugs test but was clean. "The team was in the training camp in France and some person came and asked to do the doping control. But the person involved, she didn't have any authorisation from WADA (the World Anti-Doping Agency) or anyone. And that's the end of the story," the Guardian reported. The IJF confirmed to Reuters that Kelmendi had taken several drug tests this year, including on Sunday in Rio. The Kosovo Judo Federation did not immediately reply to an emailed request for comment. (Reporting by Chris Gallagher; Editing by Brian Homewood and Bill Rigby)