Hungarian hammer thrower Krisztian Pars, the 2012 Olympic champion, has been banned until July 2019 because of a doping violation.

According to the Hungarian Athletics Federation, a non-performance-enhancing substance was detected in a urine sample taken Jan. 13 in his home city of Szombathely.

The 36-year-old Pars said Tuesday that he is "indescribably ashamed" about the incident, blaming it on "a bad decision made during a very difficult time in my career and life."

Pars, also a two-time European champion, has participated in four Olympic Games.

Officials accepted his argument that the banned substance got into his body during the offseason and that it does not have a positive effect on sporting performance.

The federation's secretary general Marton Gyulai called it "a sad day for Hungarian athletics."