Doping in Sport - Bi-Weekly Press round-up #108
An NHL player is suspended, a WADA employee is questioned by US federal officials over the Chinese doping cases and Paula Radcliffe reflects on her blood values scandal from 2015.
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Every Monday and Thursday, I send a newsletter to your inbox with the URLs to all the major doping stories in the press over the past seven days. You can read a free example of these round-ups here (link). I publish Long Read investigations on doping in sport, you can find the archive here (link). In the Town Square, I write frequently about doping news (link).
The British boxer Chris Eubank Jr. was fined £100,000 for smashing an egg on the face of his upcoming opponent Conor Benn who blamed two failed drug tests on egg contamination (link). In 2022, Benn tested positive for the female fertility drug clomiphene, which boosts testosterone levels, but was neither fined nor sanctioned by the UK Anti-Doping Agency (UKAD) or British boxing authorities (link). Benn and Eubank will appear on Piers Morgan Uncensored on Friday (link).
UKAD have sanctioned the Mexican boxer Mauricio Lara who tested positive for the corticosteroid betamethasone nearly two years ago. “Since losing to Wood he has fought three times – against Daniel Lugo in February 2024, Pedro Alejandro Delgado in August 2024, and Edwing Davila in January. He drew with Lugo, before recording successive stoppage victories; all three fights took place in Mexico,” (link). You can read the full decision here (link). Last year, UKAD sanctioned another Mexican boxer without realising that he had passed away (link).
Chelsea Football Club refused to provide the Daily Mail with additional details on Mykhailo Mudryk’s ongoing doping case (link). You can read more about Mudryk’s meldonium case here (link).
The former British marathon world record holder Paula Radcliffe was interviewed about doping on the Adharanand Finn Youtube channel. In 2015, the Sunday Times found that Radcliffe’s blood values were elevated on three occasions during her career (link). Radcliffe discusses the scandal from 11.02 onwards. “It is one of the things that can play on peoples' minds I guess if they have taken that shortcut as well I am sure the continuous worry about the shame of if you are caught and whether I will get away with it each time. It must be a huge, huge mental strain to live,” (link). You can watch Radcliffe’s initial response to the Sunday Times story on ITV News in 2015 here (link).
A Russian marathon runner Daria Yadernaya was caught course skipping at the Tokyo Marathon. “She also allegedly calculated the route in advance and used navigation apps on his phone to take shortcuts that reduced the distance run by at least eight kilometres,” (link). In 2023, the runner-up of the Tokyo marathon Tsehay Gemechu was banned for blood doping (link).
The American runner Shelby Houlihan was interviewed by LetsRun about her doping case, including her claims that she had never heard of the anabolic steroid nandrolone before her failed test. “I’ve never really been interested in the doping aspect, so I’ve never really educated myself on it. I could maybe name EPO, testosterone and I think L-carnitine was in the whole Salazar thing. That’s about it. That’s about my knowledge of doping,” (link).
The National Hockey League (NHL) player Aaron Ekblad, who won the prestigious Stanley Cup for the Florida Panthers last year, has been suspended for twenty games after he failed a doping test. “The news that I had failed a random drug test was a shock. Ultimately, I made a mistake by taking something to help me recover from recent injuries without first checking with proper medical and team personnel,” (link). You can read Ekblad’s statement here (link). In 2022, the brother of the 2011 Stanley Cup winner Dennis Seidenberg was caught taking testosterone with the help of a doctor (link).
Ilta Sanomat alleges that the NHL may still allow the use of human growth hormone in American ice hockey. “The NHL's collective bargaining agreement, signed in 2013 and extending until 2022, states that the position of synthetic growth hormone on the banned list may be negotiated at some point. When Anaheim forward Shawn Horcoff tested positive last January, the Globe and Mail reported that growth hormone was still allowed. The NHL's banned substance list is not public,” (link).
Zeit (link), VG (link), Aften Posten (link), TV2.no (link), BR24 (link), and Tagespiegel (link) have covered the fallout from the ongoing ‘equipment doping’ scandal at the recent World Ski Championships where two team members of the Norwegian ski jumping team were caught sewing an extra seem into their athletes’ suits to enhance performance. A spokesperson from the German Ski Association says that the Norwegian federation’s defence of their coaches’ actions is ‘incomprehensible’. “In our case, for example, the fit of the suits is closely coordinated between coaches, support staff, and athletes,” (link).
Adressa published an opinion piece comparing the scandal to the first ever ‘motor doping’ case in cycling. “Technological doping is defined as an illegal competitive advantage that gives an athlete an unfair advantage over other competitors. The World Anti-Doping Agency, known as WADA, included technological doping in its charter in 2006,” (link).
The Norwegian cross country skiing star Johannes Høsflot Klæbo, who won six gold medals at the championships, says the scandal is ‘boring and annoying’. “We may have been naïve in Norway and thought that cheating, such as this, does not exist in our sports environment. This is mechanical doping and is clearly contrary to my and most people's perception of how we do sports in Norway,” (link).
The French sports medicine doctor Bernard Sainz’s appeal hearing against his 2022 conviction for ‘inciting’ doping is still ongoing in France. The prosecutors are reportedly in possession of wiretaps which link Sainz to the use of EPO. “Sainz’s checkered past also links him to other high-profile riders, including Philippe Gaumont and Yvon Ledanois. Gaumont claimed Sainz only provided homeopathic treatments, while Vandenbroucke admitted using his services but expressed doubts about the substances. After serving time in Belgium, Sainz was re-arrested in France for violating restrictions, with syringes found in his office, although the case was dropped,” (link). La Depeche (link), Secuvelo (link) and Cycling News (link) have reported on the events of the trial.
The Movistar cyclist Michel Hessmann, who tested positive for chlortalidone while riding for Team Visma (link), is free to return to cycling now that his doping suspension has expired. “This means that Hessmann will be eligible for Movistar's entry in any UCI race starting next Saturday, after nearly three years without competing,” (link). Meanwhile, Hessmann’s new teammate Nairo Quintana competed at the Tirreno Adriatico while his doctor was on trial for criminal doping offences. “The Colombian doctor is being tried for possession of a prohibited substance or method for use by an athlete without medical justification. In this case, equipment, supplies, products, and devices are present that would allow for transfusion,” (link).
L’Opinione della Liberta published an article titled ‘Is Pogacar clean? Yes, maybe’. “The testimonies are anonymous. A doctor who worked in a French team points his index finger at Pogačar's always closed mouth , which means that his oxygenation is ‘perfectly assured’,” (link).
The Chinese Taipei tennis player Tsao Chia-yi, who has reached a career-high ranking of 115 in doubles, tested positive for the stimulant methylephedrine before the Australian Open in January (link).
The Italian tennis player Matteo Berrettini revealed that he once missed a doping test. “If you are not found there is a warning and with three warnings you are disqualified for a year and a half. Once they called me and they were in Monte-Carlo, while I was in Berlin and I had a warning, which then lasts a year. After a calendar year they are reset. I have already done 4 tests, during the year I will do about thirty,” (link). Berrettini now works with the physical trainer Umberto Ferrara who was fired by Jannik Sinner after he twice tested positive for the anabolic steroid clostebol (link).
At the Indian Wells Masters, Iga Swiatek (link) and the Ukrainian player Dayana Yastremska (link), both of whom have failed doping tests during their careers, played each other in the 3rd round (link). Meanwhile, the British tennis player Jack Draper publicly supported Jenson Brooksby who has recently returned from a ‘whereabouts’ suspension (link); “Good to have a great player back,” (link).
The CEO of the International Tennis Integrity Agency says that a ‘poor understanding’ of anti-doping regulations led to the belief that Jannik Sinner and Iga Swiatek were treated leniently by anti-doping authorities. “Some sports, like athletics, decide to announce provisional suspensions immediately. Others, particularly team sports, rarely do so, awaiting a hearing. Tennis has tried to find balance with the 10-day rule: if someone appeals (the suspension) within 10 days and it is accepted, it does not get published. This is a rule that could be modified,” (link).
The 22-time grand slam champion Rafael Nadal praised Jannik Sinner for the way he has handled his doping case. “Jannik is another good guy. Not much of a show off. He’s focused on what he’s doing. Of course, he went through a very tough process the last year. It’s amazing the way he was able to keep being focused on what he’s doing,” (link). The quotes are from Nadal’s recent appearance on the Served with Andy Roddick podcast (link).
The former Romanian tennis player Ion Țiriac spoke about the use of ADHD medication in sports, as well as Serena Williams’ past therapeutic use exemptions (TUE). “Only 1.2% to 1.3% of the world’s population is born with a condition requiring medication. But in sports, 40% are suddenly ‘ill’ and need exemptions!” (link). You can read more about Williams’ TUEs, which were leaked by hackers, here (link). Last month, Williams spoke alongside Lance Armstrong on stage at a finance conference in Miami (link).
Bola Vip revisited the career of the Argentine tennis player Guillermo Canas who ended Roger Federer’s 41-match win streak shortly after returning from a doping ban in 2007 (link). The article states that Canas has previously worked with Nicolas Jarry (link), Teymuraz Gabashvili (link) and Svetlana Kuznetsova (link) who have all failed doping tests during their careers. Canas also coached the American player Wayne Odesnik who was caught importing human growth hormone to Australia in 2010 (link). You can read the full decision in Canas’ doping case here (link).
Metrolibre published a list of the major doping cases in tennis over the past twenty years (link).
The former MLB baseballer Mo Vaughn admitted to The Athletic that he took human growth hormone during his career. “I was trying to do everything I could. I knew I had a bad, degenerative knee. I was shooting HGH in my knee. Whatever I could do to help the process,” (link). ESPN (link) and Marca (link) covered the story.
The New York Times reports that a WADA employee was questioned by US federal officials over whether the agency ‘covered up the positive tests of Chinese Olympic swimmers’ prior to the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. “The document, which the World Anti-Doping Agency plans to provide to its executive committee for a meeting this month, said that federal officials interviewed an employee of the agency who is an American citizen on Feb. 12 as part of the continuing investigation,” (link). Radio Canada writes that relations between WADA and the US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) are “more than strained” (link). The USADA CEO Travis Tygart was interviewed on SLA Sport Shorts (link).
The former vice-president of the Pakistan Weightlifting Federation has been suspended for four years for committing two anti-doping rule violations. “The ADRVs were in relation to their conduct during an unsuccessful out-of-competition sample collection mission where four Pakistani weightlifters refused to provide samples,” (link).
The International Testing Agency announced that three Russian MMA fighters tested positive for meldonium at the 2024 GAMMA World Championships (link).
Two Russian taekwondo fighters have been suspended by World Taekwondo. “The ADRVs are based on investigations conducted by WADA’s Intelligence and Investigations Department (WADA I&I) and by Professor Richard McLaren into allegations of systemic doping practices in Russian sport between the years 2011 and 2015,” (link).
A former Australian football coach says that the Australian Football League has enabled ‘illicit drug use’ after reports last year that players were allowed to compete despite failing drug tests for social drugs. “Those negotiations have been complicated in the past few days over the revelation that the AFL had given Sports Integrity Australia a list of players who could potentially be target tested under the separate anti-doping policy, (link). You can read more about the scandal here (link).
The Section Paloise rugby player Reece Hewat, who is Australian but plays in France, has returned from a one-month cocaine suspension (link). Earlier this month, a French anti-doping agency official raised concerns about the use of cocaine as performance enhancer in rugby. “Cocaine is used at the beginning of the week to soften the effects of the shocks of Sunday's matches. As it only remains in the urine for 48 hours, it is no longer detectable the following weekend,” (link).
The Munich Public Prosecutor’s Office is still investigating the ongoing doping case involving the German handball player Nils Kretschmer (link).
The Manchester United player Bruno Fernandes offered his support to Paul Pogba whose doping suspension has now expired. “Someone is back,” (link).
Fair Observer published an interactive history of the major doping cases in sport spanning from 1904 to present day (link).
A professor in exercise psychology at the University of Birmingham was interviewed on the Anti-Doping Podcast (link).
Two scientific papers have been published titled ‘Hematological ABP: Interest of New Generation Sequencing Methods (NGS) to Study Suspicious Fluctuations in Erythropoiesis’ (link) and ‘Recent advances of optical and electrochemical (bio)sensors for doping agents detection in sport’ (link). A commentary has also been published in Pharmacy Times titled ‘Pharmacists Play a Unique Role in Creating Clean Sports’ (link).
Informed Sports uploaded a video explaining how it certifies hundreds of sports supplements are free of doping substances every year (link).
A British rower praised UKAD’s anonymous reporting service (link).
WADA has launched its ‘#PlayTrueChallenge’ (link).
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