USADA announced today that Fernando Cabada, of Lakewood, Colo., has tested positive for a prohibited substance, which was determined to have been ingested by him without fault or negligence. Cabada, 34, tested positive for trace amounts of clenbuterol as the result of an out-of-competition urine sample he provided on December 6, 2016. Clenbuterol is an Anabolic Agent prohibited at all times under the USADA Protocol for Olympic and Paralympic Movement Testing, the United States Olympic Committee National Anti-Doping Policies, and the International Association of Athletics Federations, all of which have adopted the World Anti-Doping Code and the World Anti-Doping Agency Prohibited List.

Consistent with numerous prior reported cases globally, the issue of illicit administration of clenbuterol to animals destined for food production can result in, under specific conditions, a positive sample from an athlete. WADA has issued specific warnings about this problem in China and Mexico. To USADA’s knowledge, positive tests resulting from meat contamination issues are rare outside of those two countries. Moreover, due to strict regulatory and meat certification practices, USADA is not aware of any instances in which an athlete’s sample tested positive for clenbuterol after consumption of meat produced in the U.S.

During its investigation into the circumstances that led to the positive test, USADA gathered evidence from Cabada and reviewed Cabada’s whereabouts, dietary habits, and the laboratory reports demonstrating very low parts per billion concentrations of the prohibited substance in the athlete’s urine sample. USADA concluded that it was highly unlikely that the presence of clenbuterol in the athlete’s sample resulted from a source other than clenbuterol contaminated meat consumed in Mexico. As a result, Cabada will not face a period of ineligibility for his positive test, and because the sample was collected out-of-competition, there are no competitive results to be disqualified.

• This media release was originally published by the US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) on 2 February 2017. To access the original, please click here.