New Zealand professional cyclist Karl Murray has accepted a two-year ban for doping, despite evidence that a positive test for testosterone and a metabolite of nandrolone came from contaminated supplements. Murray (pictured) was tested during the Tour of New Caledonia during October 2013 and was informed of the ban whilst on holiday in New Caledonia in January 2014.

‘At the time of the Tour of New Caledonia, I was taking a number of supplements, none of which I thought to be illegal or containing banned substances’, read a statement from Murray. ‘Following my results being disclosed to me I had one of the supplements tested and it was found to contain testosterone and two esters [byproducts] of testosterone, all of which were not listed on the label of Hydroxycut Hardcore X. It was clear to me that this supplement was the cause of the positive test for testosterone, at least. Further, I strongly believe that the contamination/mislabelling of either this supplement, or one of the others I was taking, was the cause of the presence of the metabolites/indicators of nandrolone in my test result also. Unfortunately, however, I was not able to undertake testing of other supplements, as I no longer had samples of the supplements for testing…’

Hydroxycut Hardcore X is manufactured by MuscleTech Research and development. It has had issues with counterfeit products, as this page on its internet site shows. Although Murray accepted the sanction, he pointed to cases including Michael Rogers, a Team Tinkoff Saxo rider who was convicted of using clenbuterol, but then cleared in April last year after it was accepted that the positive came from contaminated meat.

‘The ban was sanctioned from the date of the meeting (rather than the date I was given the news of the positive test result, being January 2014)’, read Murray’s February 25 statement. ‘The ban is from 23 April 2014 to 22 April 2016. I have accepted this ban as I respect the anti-doping code and the role they play towards anti-doping in sport…I wanted to explain my story so people could understand that not every positive test result is from a person with the intention to cheat.’

Murray was sanctioned in New Caledonia by the Oceania Regional Anti-Doping Organisation, as New Caledonia is not a signatory to the World Anti-Doping Code. “Drug Free Sport New Zealand (DFSNZ) are looking at the rules and jurisdiction on this, as even though the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) was informed through the RADO, DFSNZ were not”, Murray told the Sports Integrity Initiative.