News 24 June 2016

Sports Integrity Briefs – 24 June 2016

• The Italian athletics federation (FIDAL) reports that race-walker Alex Schwazer has returned an adverse analytical finding (AAF). Schwazer (pictured) has recently returned from a four-year ban (three months suspended) after testing positive for recombinant erythropoietin (EPO) in 2013. It is understood that Schwazer tested positive for a steroid as part of a retest of a sample taken in January, which did not return an adverse analytical finding (AAF), due to analysis of his Athlete Biological Passport (ABP). He told Reuters that he intends to fight the ban.

Russia’s state Duma today approved amendments to the country’s sports law requiring local authorities to publish online the list of people prohibited from visiting areas where official sport competitions are organised. It is understood that such lists were previously private.

Kenya’s President, Uhuru Kenyatta, signed the country’s anti-doping Bill into law yesterday. On 13 May, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) declared Kenya non-compliant with the World Anti-Doping Code, after stating that its draft Bill was not compliant with the Code in February. On 2 May, WADA recommended that WADA’s Foundation Board declare Kenya not compliant with the Code. The Sports Integrity Initiative has asked WADA to comment on whether the Bill has been sufficiently amended in order to ensure compliance with the Code.

• WADA has removed Mexico from its list of countries deemed to be non-compliant with the World Anti-Doping Code. ‘Mexico has drafted and adopted anti-doping legislation and regulations that are now deemed to be in line with the Code’, read a WADA statement.

• The government of Kuwait is suing the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for US$1 billion through Swiss courts as a result of its decision to suspend the Kuwait Olympic Committee (IOC), reports the country’s news agency (KUNA). The IOC suspended the country in October last year, as did FIFA, due to allegations of political interference in sport. Earlier this month, it confirmed that the suspension would not be lifted in time for the Rio 2016 Olympics.

• The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) has cleared an athlete of doping after ‘a minute trace’ of meldonium was detected in a 26 February 2016 urine test. The IPC found that Russian Nordic skier Nikolay Polukhin had committed an anti-doping rule violation (ADRV), however ruled that ‘no fault or negligence’ applied as the panel was satisfied that the substance was ingested prior to 1 January 2016, when meldonium was added to the Prohibited List. On 11 April, the WADA Guidance Notice clarified that results management should only proceed where evidence suggests that an athlete consumed meldonium after 1 January.

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