Andy has been writing about the governance of sport for over 15 years. Prior to working on the Sports Integrity Initiative, he was the editor of World Sports Law Report for eight years. He has also worked for the Press Association and has written for numerous trade magazines. He has also created, chaired and spoken at numerous conferences on the business of sport, and produced the Sports Law Show for iSportConnect TV.
All posts by Andy Brown
• Despite discovering evidence that Russia’s Military Intelligence Unit (GRU) was behind hacks into Swedish sporting federations from December 2017 to May 2018, the Swedish Prosecution Authority has discontinued an investigation. “Against the background of parties acting for a foreign power, in this case Russia, we have reached the...
A ruling from the US Supreme Court on whether Universities can offer benefits to National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division One athletes that extend beyond covering the cost of tuition is expected in June. Under current NCAA rules, US Universities are allowed to offer student athletes a scholarship to...
The Bulgarian swimming federation (Българска федерация плувни спортове) claims to have cleared its name, after three young swimmers returned adverse analytical findings (AAF) for stanozolol at a February training camp. Zdravko Bablakov (Здравко Баблаков), Svetlozar Nikolov (Светлозар Николов), and Blagoy Panayotov (Благой Панайотов) were provisionally suspended on 23 February....
UK Anti-Doping (UKAD) has been accused of procedural failures in a 2015 doping case, in which Gareth Warburton and Rhys Williams were given reduced sanctions. An investigation for the Mail on Sunday reveals different results from separate tests in the same laboratory on the same batch of supplements used by the...
• Witold Bańka, President of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), has taken legal action against Grzegorz Łakomski, Editor of TVN24, alleging ‘many months of actions aimed at discrediting me’. In a letter, Bańka accuses Łakomski of sending ‘false information’ to WADA and Stadion Śląski alleging that he had violated...
Ophélie Claude-Boxberger has been sanctioned with a backdated two year ban for an anti-doping rule violation (ADRV) involving erythropoietin (EPO), after the French anti-doping agency (AFLD) apparently accepted that she was injected by her stepfather without her knowledge. The steeplechase athlete, who will miss the postponed Tokyo 2020 Olympics,...
On 3 April 2021 at the Podium 5k at Barrowford, Lancashire, Beth Potter ran a 5k in a time of 14 minutes 41 seconds, which is inside the world record. However, it appears unlikely that Potter will be crowned as the new World or even the British record holder....
• Heiki Nabi’s appeal against a provisional suspension imposed by the Estonian Anti-Doping and Sports Integrity Agency (EADSE) following an adverse analytical finding (AAF) for a metabolite of letrozole has been rejected in an Estonian court, reports ERR. It is understood that the Greco-Roman wrestler (pictured) argued that EADSE...
The Investigative Committee of the Republic of Belarus (СкРБ) has opened a criminal case against the founders of the Belarusian Sports Solidarity Foundation (BSSF). However, the actions of the State highlight that the International Olympic Committee (IOC) was right to maintain sanctions against the Belarus Olympic Committee (НокРБ), after...
Doping amongst elite athletes in The Netherlands is estimated at 12.5%, a prevalence Study conducted by the Mulier Institute and supported by the Dutch ministry of health, welfare and sport (VWS) has concluded. The Study used the randomised response technique (RRT), in which surveys are structured using statistical methods...
• Dr. Eufemiano Fuentes has claimed that Spanish medalists at the Barcelona 1992 Olympics used prohibited substances, in an interview by Jordi Évole for LaSexta. Real Madrid is reportedly considering legal action after Fuentes, who was the doctor at the centre of the Operación Puerto blood doping investigation, didn’t...
The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) is investigating why UK Anti-Doping (UKAD) allowed British Cycling to conduct its own investigation into an ‘abnormal’ finding involving nandrolone in 2011. An investigation for the Mail on Sunday revealed that following the results of the late 2010 test involving a British cyclist, UKAD...
• A new cross border Study has found nine prohibited substances in sports and weight loss supplements available in the US that list Deterenol on the label, a beta-2 agonist that is not approved for human use in the US. ‘Weight loss and sports supplements listing deterenol as an ingredient...
Athletes have called for a complete overhaul of the anti-doping system through a submission that falls outside of the World Anti-Doping Agency’s (WADA) Governance Reform Survey, the completion deadline for which is today. ‘The selection of questions and the ability to pick and choose responses that may serve a...
Twenty nine adverse analytical findings (AAFs) were recorded in Italy during 2020, 0.55% of 5,214 anti-doping tests performed during 2020, a statistical Report (click here to download) produced by Italy’s national anti-doping agency (NADO Italia) has revealed. More tests were performed outside of competition (3,144) than in competition (2,070)....
