Forty four athletes from 13 countries, competing in 15 sports, were involved in anti-doping proceedings that came to light in the week ended 28 April. Sanctions were issued to nine Russian wrestlers based on historical evidence of anti-doping rule violations (ADRVs) that occurred over ten years ago; an Ironman competitor was given a one year reduction to a four year ban after admitting purchasing Erythropoietin (EPO) on the internet; pending proceedings were announced against a Canadian University sport athlete after his name was included in the Canadian Football League (CFL) Draft; and six South African Bodybuilders were sanctioned after competing in the National Championships last year.

In addition, a prominent swimmer plans an appeal against a two year ban after World Aquatics accepted that her adverse analytical finding (AAF – or ‘positive test’) was caused by a cream used to treat injuries; a bowls athlete was sanctioned for use of a substance often used to trear blood pressure issues; and a cyclist was stood down by his team after he returned an AAF for a substance that is permitted in competition under certain guidelines.

The International Testing Agency (ITA) announced sanctions against nine Russian wrestlers dating from 2012, based on Richard McLaren’s investigations into systemic doping in Russian sport, and information retrieved from the Moscow Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS). The ITA said that eight of the nine benefitted from a partial backdating of their period of ineligibility after admitting the ADRVs. Aleksey Shchekov (Алексей Щеков) did not admit to his ADRV, and therefore his sanction will not expire until 1 March next year.

Collin Chartier received a one year reduction to a four year ban after admitting use of Erythropoietin (EPO) within 20 days of being charged. Article 10.8.1 of the World Anti-Doping Code (see right) was designed to save anti-doping organisations money by avoiding the need for a costly hearing. However, it also avoids the forensic examination of a case’s circumstances that a hearing necessitates.

In a podcast, Chartier has admitting purchasing EPO on the internet, and has said that he began using it in November last year. Chartier is coached by Mikal Iden, who is the brother of Ironman World Champion Gustav Iden.

 

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Dimitrios Papanikolaou is an American Football athlete associated with McGill University. The Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport (CCES) decided to announce that Papanikolaou has been provisionally suspended due to two potential ADRVs dating back to 2021, after his name was included in the draft for the Canadian Football League (CFL). Under the World Anti-Doping Code, anti-doping authorities have discretion over whether provisional suspensions are announced.

The South African Institute for Drug Free Sport (SAIDS) latest Sanction List featured ten Bodybuilders, six of whom had returned AAFs during the National Championships at the start of September last year. Two of the Bodybuilders returned AAFs for nine prohibited substances from a single test.

Joanna Evans is to appeal a two year sanction issued by World Aquatics to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), with the support of Bahamas Aquatics. A FINA Doping Panel Decision accepted that her AAF for Clostebol was caused by the application of Trofodermin cream to treat two injuries. 

Evans argued that she had bought the Trofodermin cream using cash at an Italian pharmacy on 11 September 2021. An investigation by Italy’s national anti-doping agency (NADO Italia) found that the pharmacy concerned had not sold any Trofodermin cream in September 2021. Evans didn’t have a receipt. Evans said that she didn’t notice a ‘doping’ insignia with a red line through it, as required under Italian law, on the box containing the cream. 

‘Even if she could not recollect the exact location of the Pharmacy in which she purchased the cream, its continued presence in her belongings give credence to the fact that this was the origin of the prohibited substance entering into her system’, read the FINA Decision. ‘The fact that the FINA witness statement from DR. Jordi Segura acknowledged that that the urinary concentration of Clostebol reported by the laboratory (around 1.5 ng/mL) for the sample collected on 3 December 2021 could not arise from the application of a Trofodermin cream containing Clostebol, once per day on 11-12-13 September 2021, based on the existing scientific data on the pharmacokinetics and elimination of Clostebol from the human body, increased the FINA Doping Panel’s finding that based on a balance of probability that it was the subsequent use of Trofodermin to treat Ms. Evan’s knee injury which was the cause of the positive test result, as she showed that her injury and subsequent use of Trofodermin took place between 30 October and 4-5 November 2021.’

Team Lotto Dstny has stood down Lennert Van Eetvelt under Mouvement Pour un Cyclisme Credible (MPCC) rules, after the Belgian cyclist reported that he had received a letter from anti-doping authorities over use of a nasal spray which it said is permitted in competition if mentioned during doping control. The team didn’t mention the substance or the nasal spray involved.

In 2019, Tosh Van der Sande of the same team was cleared of committing an ADRV by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) after using a nasal spray that contained Prednisolone. The World Anti-Doping Agency’s (WADA) Prohibited List outlines that Prednisolone is permitted when inhaled in line with the dosage recommended by manufacturers for therapeutic reasons.  

Please continue to send any cases we may have missed or suggestions through to the editor by clicking here. Also, if you’re an athlete, national anti-doping organisation (NADO) or other Results Management Authority and you’d like us to cover a case that you’re involved with, please get in touch! Also – a reminder. The SII Anti-Doping Monitor only features confirmed AAFs (‘positive tests’) or confirmed anti-doping rule violations (ADRVs).

Decision links

Molefe Kasonkola, Ephias Mkutchwa, Winchester Scott, Abel Moodley, Kurt Smith, Monia Stroebel, James Sebopelo, Melissa Zaeidmar, Melissa Zaeidmar, Wesley Schourie, Johan van Staden, Minor Rugby Union athlete, Zoe (Zodwa) Ndaba, Annecke Eyssen, Kelly Smith, William Peter Paxton, Kelvin Edwin Theunis, and Tumelo Akeem Ramphele (SAIDS Sanction List);

Fabio Mazzuco, Joao Benta, Juan Manuel Godoy (UCI List of Provisional Suspensions); 

Antunes Amaro, Nicole Montero Hachohen, Mohammadiha Hossein, Samah Mohammad Khaled (UCI Sanction List);

Joanna Evans (AQIU List of Suspended Persons, athlete Instagram Statement, full Decision, Letter of Support from Bahamas Aquatics);

Bafana Dube (SAIDS Sanction List, full Decision);

Lennert Van Eetvelt (Team Lotto Dstny Statement);

Collin Chartier (ITA Statement; athlete Instagram Statement);

Dimitrios Papanikolaou (CCES Statement);

Tara Davis-Woodhall (USADA Statement);

Madalyn Baxter (ITA Statement);

Dariya Leksina, Elena Vostrikova, Margarita Fatkulina, Elena Getta, Anzhela Kataeva, Elena Kulikova, Alevtina Lisitsina, Anastasiya Shchavlinskaya, and Aleksey Shchekov (ITA Statement);

Luigi Ferritto (NADO Italia Statement);

Andrej Martin (ITIA Statement);

Andrea Dowling (USADA Statement)