An anabolic steroid once given to East and West German athletes has resurfaced in elite Italian sport. Honest Sport investigates whether the drug is now being used similarly to testosterone creams.
Wow, this puts things into perspective with the whole Sinner scenario. How can anybody say they have not been rubbed on by their PT! More testing needs to be done to show where the line is. Regardless Sinner was shown preferential treatment versus others accused for similar. They waited much longer.
Very interesting and informative article. One important element of the Sinner case is that he was found positive twice, a few weeks apart, both times with an identical, extremely low level of Costebol. Does this help ascertain whether his case was deliberate and performance-enhancing?
I appreciate the work that went into this article. It is welcome scrutiny. Also, though, journalism is supposed to be adversarial and critical. Uncritically repeating official narratives that PEDs “…unknowingly entered his system” is neither. There have been so many scandals in international sport that distrust of official narratives is warranted. You have to go after not only the athletes claiming victim status but the doping authorities, who are often complicit in the covering up of doping scandals.
Hi, I write from Italy. Do you think that in Italy there's a network where closterebol in cream or spray is used like you report, to cover for example other banned substances from the body? And a specific question, in the unexpected rise of Jasmine Paolini, could be suspicious its linking with Sara Errani with its tortellini case that we remember so well?
I believe that clostebol creams/sprays are likely used as a 'recovery' cream rather than a masking agent. Testosterone creams/sprays are used after competitions/events to dampen inflammation and help the body to recover. Armstrong used to spray an olive oil/testosterone solution beneath his tongue after stages. It was prepared by his Italian doctor Michele Ferrari.
These clostebol ointments are not strong enough to completely change an athlete's physiology so I think athletes who knowingly dope with clostebol are possibly taking stronger drugs out of competition as well.
With regards to Errani, she used to work with Lance Armstrong's doctor Luis Garcia del Moral so there have always been some suspicions with her. The letrozole/tortellini case then increased those suspicions.
Great investigation into a subject that is more topical than ever - we're now talking about the world's number 1 tennis player.
Do you have a particular insight on Sinner's case? Methinks both explanations (accidental vs deliberate Clostebol ingesting) are compatible with what we know. Did you have a chance to read the reports, and if so do you reckon there's significantly more evidence on one side ?
I hope we will know more about that case and the reasoning behind the official investigations, as the public is quick to conclude, and I think it's a good opportunity to educate them, as well as to improve the incentives around doping in tennis and sports in general :)
Thanks Flavien. Yes I agree that there are arguments on both sides. But at the hearing a "summary of facts" were agreed by both sides in which they accepted that the massage version of events was true (paragraph 32). Therefore the ITIA didn't argue that Sinner had intended to cheat at the independent tribunal. The few inconsistencies in Sinner's defence may have been more heavily scrutinised had that not been the case.
Interesting article, thank you. WADA is also not arguing that Sinnner intended to cheat at CAS. Can you explain what you mean by the “few inconsistencies” in his defence? I note that inconsistencies of themselves are not determinative of, or proof itself of, an intention to cheat given that the standard of proof is a balance of probabilities to a level of comfortable satisfaction (meaning inconsistencies even those not readily explicable may not be enough to demonstrate intentionality).
Thanks Radhika. Yes, the ITIA accepted Sinner’s version of events in an agreed Summary of Facts (paragraph 32) for the hearing therefore intentionality was never argued by the ITIA. The inconsistencies I noticed were in paragraphs 106-107. Sinner’s friend (Mr. Gius) remembers Naldi cutting himself in an entirely different location, and Naldi couldn’t recall being warned by Umberto Ferrara that trofodermin contained a doping substance (although Ferrara maintains he warned him clearly). I also found paragraph 39 interesting where it states that Naldi said he had no knowledge that the spray contained clostebol yet the front of the spray canister clearly states “clostebol acetato”: https://www.farmaciamato.it/farmaci/20942049-trofodermin-spr-cut-30ml-55.html
Thanks for responding. I think the inconsistencies between people re the location of the cut is less relevant since the fact of the cut and that it was on the hand (as the participator for this whole affair) is more relevant than precisely where it is located. That Naldi could not recall the warning from Ferraro or seeing the warning on the canister is certainly remarkable but I don't see how those failures by Naldi in that regard change the result. The scope of both Naldi and Ferraro's arguable professional negligence in this matter is staggering when viewed in the context of their role as staff of a professional athlete subject to doping controls and whose understanding of the importance of doping controls appear to have been vetting for and emphasized by Sinner when they were being employed. The WADA appeal is really going to test the application of the principles and case law relating to player responsibility for these failures when it is the player not the staff that ultimately has responsibility for making sure they do not take banned substances. Given that Erani and Halep got 10 and 9 months respectively for ingesting banned substances in circumstances where their fault was judged to be in the lower end of responsibility I would be surprised if WADA gets any, or even the minimum term, of suspension they are asking for.
Hi Edmund, thank-you for the article, I enjoyed the reporting. Any thoughts on how the recent Clostebol investigations (active ingredient around 0.5%) show the ingredient can be picked up after accidental third party transfer but Salazar (NOP) showed it took four pumps of (admittedly a different) banned gel (active ingredient 1.5%) to trigger a response?
Hi Paul W, thank you for your question. The main reason why 4 pumps of testosterone goes undetected is because anti-doping agencies (unbelievably) do not test directly for testosterone. They only 'screen' for testosterone. Athletes are screened to see whether they have a testosterone to epitestosterone ratio of above or below 4:1. If they have have a ratio above 4:1, only then does the agency test directly for synthetic testosterone (an IRMS test). Therefore when Salazar was running his test, it was to see how much testosterone could be taken before the testosterone: epitestosterone ratio limit was triggered. It is likely that if an agency were to directly test for testosterone, shortly after 4 pumps of gel, that they would be able to detect the drug. Clostebol on the other hand is tested for directly in the normal gambit of analysis performed on every sample therefore it is more likely to be detected than testosterone. Ideally an athlete would always take testosterone (rather than clostebol creams), but the drug requires a prescription and it is dangerous to fly through airports with it if you are a professional athlete! I hope that makes sense.
Without saying how plausible it was, Sinner's explanation was plausible. Then I discovered that there has been a spate of Italian athletes who've tested positive for clostebol in recent years. But I also find that clostebol is an active ingredient in dermatological cream or spray called Trofodermin, which is used to treat skin abrasions, cuts and wounds - and readily available over the counter in Italy. However, this would make Clostebol easily available to use/abuse, and provide an excuse for it being found in an athlete's organism, to boot. And lastly, I've found your fine article on this topic!
Thank you. The ABP automatically detects irregular blood/hormonal values that are 'atypical' and then the athlete's passport is sent onto an expert to assess whether they have been doping. With these creams and gels it is unlikely that it would be automatically detected as a typical by the ABP algorithm but if an anti-doping agency employee wanted to actively look into an athlete's passport they could perhaps suspect that something was irregular. When an athlete takes synthetic testosterone/testosterone derivatives, their natural testosterone production is supressed so you may be able to see that in an athlete's ABP.
Thanks for your work ! The Palomino case (Atalanta 2022) might be interesting because the football player didn't face any sanction for Clostebol either. The court never published any report about this, to the best of my knowledge...
Wow, this puts things into perspective with the whole Sinner scenario. How can anybody say they have not been rubbed on by their PT! More testing needs to be done to show where the line is. Regardless Sinner was shown preferential treatment versus others accused for similar. They waited much longer.
Thanks for this, insightful, interesting in light of the previously squeaky clean Sinner revelations today.
Great piece, thanks Edmund.
Thanks Simon!
Very good piece
Very interesting and informative article. One important element of the Sinner case is that he was found positive twice, a few weeks apart, both times with an identical, extremely low level of Costebol. Does this help ascertain whether his case was deliberate and performance-enhancing?
Wow. Incredible read given the sinner shit storm today
Thanks Kieran.
I appreciate the work that went into this article. It is welcome scrutiny. Also, though, journalism is supposed to be adversarial and critical. Uncritically repeating official narratives that PEDs “…unknowingly entered his system” is neither. There have been so many scandals in international sport that distrust of official narratives is warranted. You have to go after not only the athletes claiming victim status but the doping authorities, who are often complicit in the covering up of doping scandals.
Thanks for the feedback Jason.
Hi, I write from Italy. Do you think that in Italy there's a network where closterebol in cream or spray is used like you report, to cover for example other banned substances from the body? And a specific question, in the unexpected rise of Jasmine Paolini, could be suspicious its linking with Sara Errani with its tortellini case that we remember so well?
Hi Alberto, thanks for your comment.
I believe that clostebol creams/sprays are likely used as a 'recovery' cream rather than a masking agent. Testosterone creams/sprays are used after competitions/events to dampen inflammation and help the body to recover. Armstrong used to spray an olive oil/testosterone solution beneath his tongue after stages. It was prepared by his Italian doctor Michele Ferrari.
These clostebol ointments are not strong enough to completely change an athlete's physiology so I think athletes who knowingly dope with clostebol are possibly taking stronger drugs out of competition as well.
With regards to Errani, she used to work with Lance Armstrong's doctor Luis Garcia del Moral so there have always been some suspicions with her. The letrozole/tortellini case then increased those suspicions.
Really really interesting thanks...
Great investigation into a subject that is more topical than ever - we're now talking about the world's number 1 tennis player.
Do you have a particular insight on Sinner's case? Methinks both explanations (accidental vs deliberate Clostebol ingesting) are compatible with what we know. Did you have a chance to read the reports, and if so do you reckon there's significantly more evidence on one side ?
I hope we will know more about that case and the reasoning behind the official investigations, as the public is quick to conclude, and I think it's a good opportunity to educate them, as well as to improve the incentives around doping in tennis and sports in general :)
Thanks Flavien. Yes I agree that there are arguments on both sides. But at the hearing a "summary of facts" were agreed by both sides in which they accepted that the massage version of events was true (paragraph 32). Therefore the ITIA didn't argue that Sinner had intended to cheat at the independent tribunal. The few inconsistencies in Sinner's defence may have been more heavily scrutinised had that not been the case.
Interesting article, thank you. WADA is also not arguing that Sinnner intended to cheat at CAS. Can you explain what you mean by the “few inconsistencies” in his defence? I note that inconsistencies of themselves are not determinative of, or proof itself of, an intention to cheat given that the standard of proof is a balance of probabilities to a level of comfortable satisfaction (meaning inconsistencies even those not readily explicable may not be enough to demonstrate intentionality).
Thanks Radhika. Yes, the ITIA accepted Sinner’s version of events in an agreed Summary of Facts (paragraph 32) for the hearing therefore intentionality was never argued by the ITIA. The inconsistencies I noticed were in paragraphs 106-107. Sinner’s friend (Mr. Gius) remembers Naldi cutting himself in an entirely different location, and Naldi couldn’t recall being warned by Umberto Ferrara that trofodermin contained a doping substance (although Ferrara maintains he warned him clearly). I also found paragraph 39 interesting where it states that Naldi said he had no knowledge that the spray contained clostebol yet the front of the spray canister clearly states “clostebol acetato”: https://www.farmaciamato.it/farmaci/20942049-trofodermin-spr-cut-30ml-55.html
Thanks for responding. I think the inconsistencies between people re the location of the cut is less relevant since the fact of the cut and that it was on the hand (as the participator for this whole affair) is more relevant than precisely where it is located. That Naldi could not recall the warning from Ferraro or seeing the warning on the canister is certainly remarkable but I don't see how those failures by Naldi in that regard change the result. The scope of both Naldi and Ferraro's arguable professional negligence in this matter is staggering when viewed in the context of their role as staff of a professional athlete subject to doping controls and whose understanding of the importance of doping controls appear to have been vetting for and emphasized by Sinner when they were being employed. The WADA appeal is really going to test the application of the principles and case law relating to player responsibility for these failures when it is the player not the staff that ultimately has responsibility for making sure they do not take banned substances. Given that Erani and Halep got 10 and 9 months respectively for ingesting banned substances in circumstances where their fault was judged to be in the lower end of responsibility I would be surprised if WADA gets any, or even the minimum term, of suspension they are asking for.
Hi Edmund, thank-you for the article, I enjoyed the reporting. Any thoughts on how the recent Clostebol investigations (active ingredient around 0.5%) show the ingredient can be picked up after accidental third party transfer but Salazar (NOP) showed it took four pumps of (admittedly a different) banned gel (active ingredient 1.5%) to trigger a response?
Hi Paul W, thank you for your question. The main reason why 4 pumps of testosterone goes undetected is because anti-doping agencies (unbelievably) do not test directly for testosterone. They only 'screen' for testosterone. Athletes are screened to see whether they have a testosterone to epitestosterone ratio of above or below 4:1. If they have have a ratio above 4:1, only then does the agency test directly for synthetic testosterone (an IRMS test). Therefore when Salazar was running his test, it was to see how much testosterone could be taken before the testosterone: epitestosterone ratio limit was triggered. It is likely that if an agency were to directly test for testosterone, shortly after 4 pumps of gel, that they would be able to detect the drug. Clostebol on the other hand is tested for directly in the normal gambit of analysis performed on every sample therefore it is more likely to be detected than testosterone. Ideally an athlete would always take testosterone (rather than clostebol creams), but the drug requires a prescription and it is dangerous to fly through airports with it if you are a professional athlete! I hope that makes sense.
Hi Edmund, thank-you, that helped understand the difference.
Without saying how plausible it was, Sinner's explanation was plausible. Then I discovered that there has been a spate of Italian athletes who've tested positive for clostebol in recent years. But I also find that clostebol is an active ingredient in dermatological cream or spray called Trofodermin, which is used to treat skin abrasions, cuts and wounds - and readily available over the counter in Italy. However, this would make Clostebol easily available to use/abuse, and provide an excuse for it being found in an athlete's organism, to boot. And lastly, I've found your fine article on this topic!
Thanks David, please you found it worthwhile!
Amazing to read this and realize it was written back in May. Aged well!
Thank you Rosalind. Even then four clostebol cases in Italian tennis in less than three years was particularly suspicious.
Appreciate your work for the investigation. Does Athlete Biological Passport help detect this type of "micro-dosing" by using gel/cream regularly?
Thank you. The ABP automatically detects irregular blood/hormonal values that are 'atypical' and then the athlete's passport is sent onto an expert to assess whether they have been doping. With these creams and gels it is unlikely that it would be automatically detected as a typical by the ABP algorithm but if an anti-doping agency employee wanted to actively look into an athlete's passport they could perhaps suspect that something was irregular. When an athlete takes synthetic testosterone/testosterone derivatives, their natural testosterone production is supressed so you may be able to see that in an athlete's ABP.
Thanks for your work ! The Palomino case (Atalanta 2022) might be interesting because the football player didn't face any sanction for Clostebol either. The court never published any report about this, to the best of my knowledge...
Thanks Richard, I am glad you enjoyed it.