11 June 2020

Boxing Athlete Virginia Fuchs Found Not at Fault

USADA announced today that Virginia Fuchs, of Kemah, Texas, an athlete in the sport of boxing, has tested positive for a prohibited substance, which was determined to have been ingested by her without fault or negligence. As a result, Fuchs will not face a period of ineligibility for her positive test.

“While the World Anti-Doping Code requires that this no fault finding be considered a violation and be publicly announced, we strongly believe this case and others like it, including meat contamination and prescription medication contamination cases, should be considered no violation,” said Travis T. Tygart, Chief Executive Officer of USADA. “We will continue to advocate for changes to the World Anti-Doping Code so that where there is no intent to cheat and no performance benefit, an athlete should not face any violation or unnecessary public attention.”

Fuchs, 32, tested positive for the letrozole metabolite bis-(4-cyanophenyl)methanol, as well as GW1516 (GW501516) metabolites, GW1516 sulfone and GW1516 sulfoxide, as the result of an out-of-competition urine sample she provided on February 13, 2020. Letrozole is a Specific Substance and GW1516 is a non-Specified Substance in the class of Hormone and Metabolic Modulators and are prohibited at all times under the USADA Protocol for Olympic and Paralympic Movement Testing, the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee National Anti-Doping Policies, and the Association Internationale de Boxe Amateur Anti-Doping Rules, all of which have adopted the World Anti-Doping Code and the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Prohibited List.

During a thorough investigation into the circumstances of Fuchs’ case, USADA determined that Fuchs’ male partner was using therapeutic doses of letrozole and GW1516 and the low amounts of letrozole metabolite and GW1516 metabolites detected in her sample were consistent with recent exposure to the substances via sexual transmission. Additionally, a WADA-accredited laboratory confirmed that products possessed by Fuchs’ partner contained therapeutic amounts of letrozole and GW1516. Fuchs will not face a period of ineligibility for her positive test, and because the sample was collected out-of-competition, there are no competitive results to disqualify.

• This media release was published by the US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) on 11 June 2020. Click here for the original.

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