ASADA has today confirmed that Australian Paralympic cyclist Michael Gallagher has been handed a mandatory provisional suspension by Cycling Australia and the Australian Paralympic Committee. Mr Gallagher was tested out-of-competition at a training camp held in Italy in July. His ‘A’ sample tested positive for erythropoietin (EPO).

The test was coordinated by ASADA as part of a comprehensive pre-Rio anti-doping program to ensure the integrity of the Australian Paralympic team. The provisional suspension is effective immediately and means Mr Gallagher will not compete at the Paralympics in Rio. ASADA has notified the athlete of his rights in this process and will continue its investigation of the matter.

• This media release was originally published by the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Agency (ASADA) on 2 September 2016. You can access the original by clicking here.