World Triathlon

International Triathlon Union (ITU) announced this week that it had officially warned a triathlete, after committing an anti-doping rule violation during an in-competition doping control test in London, United Kingdom on August 15 2009.

The athlete’s anti-doping rule violation was a result of an adverse analytical finding (AAF) of ephedrine, a stimulant substance on the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Prohibited List.

The athlete provided laboratory analysis results that confirmed that the tablets in the bottle of caffeine supplements which the athlete had been using and ingested prior to the race contained a trace of ephedrine. These results confirmed that a cross-contamination of ephedrine in the caffeine supplement tablets was the probable cause of the adverse analytical finding.

The Panel imposed a warning on the athlete and the result obtained by the athlete during the race was cancelled.

To avoid circumstances similar to the one at hand from reoccurring, the ITU Anti-Doping Hearing Panel urges all triathletes and ITU member federations to be most diligent in their selection of supplements, especially in the form of tablets, in order to avoid any similar occurrences; or to avoid the use of supplements altogether. We would like to avoid these cases in the future.

ITU is strongly committed to maintaining the integrity of the sport by ensuring athletes are competing on a level-playing field by abiding to the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Code to help keep triathlon clean. The ITU Anti-Doping Rules are written in compliance with the WADA Code.  For a National Federation (NF) to be affiliated with ITU, it must abide by the WADA Code and ITU Rules.

If you have any questions about ITU Anti-Doping Program, please consult Leslie Buchanan at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)