TEHRAN – Iranian Alpine skier Hossein Saveh Shemshaki apologized Sunday for testing positive for doping.

He was suspended after a sample collected returned an adverse analytical finding (AAF), the International Testing Agency said on Wednesday.

Saveh Shemshaki carried Iran’s flag at the opening ceremony in Beijing.

“It’s always bad when something like this happens but I have to say it was not intentional. I am well aware that I’m responsible for what I use and I want the Iranian people forgive me for my negligence,” Saveh Shemshaki said on viral video.

Hossein Saveh Shemshaki, 36, earned his best Olympic result in 2014 in Sochi, where he finished 31st in slalom.

“I knew that I had no chance to win a medal in the 2022 Winter Olympics, so there was no reason to use anabolic steroid,” he added.