After mistakenly accusing a beach volleyball player of doping, Ladetec, the only WADA accredited laboratory in Brazil received 6-month suspension.

The penalty pertains to the case of the Brazilian player, Pedro Solberg, who was drawn into the issue of using testosterone. Ladetec reported a positive drug test result after testing Solberg’s urine sample last year. Based on the test conducted by the laboratory, the volleyball player is positive for steroid Androstanediol.

This was however strongly contested by Solberg, claiming that he is not into steroids. The incident was later investigated by the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB). The organization decided to conduct a repeat test at a German laboratory to verify the drug test result. But the second test showed a negative result, clearing Solberg on any drug related issue.

Suspension Still Allow Brazil’s Anti-Doping Lab to Conduct Other Doping Test

The suspension apparently cover only the test that is responsible for detecting anabolic steroids and synthetic testosterone called isotope ratio mass spectrometry (IRMS). Penalty imposed to the Rio laboratory does not include other tests that are offered by the laboratory. The anti-doping laboratory will continue to receive and test samples. They are only required to transfer any IRMS test to other laboratories.

As per reference to the statement released by World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), Ladetec can still conduct all other forms of doping test and remains to be considered an accredited laboratory. WADA further states that in the course of the suspension period, they would be conducting a re-evaluation of the status of the Rio laboratory. In any case that a laboratory does not meet ISL (International Standard for Laboratories) requirements, WADA has the right to suspend the laboratory’s accreditation.

Francisco Radler, Ladetec’s boss did not release any statement regarding the decision imposed by WADA. An appeal can still be filled by the doping control laboratory within 21 days.

Brazil’s representative at WADA Eduardo de Rose, who at the same time acted as the head of the medical commission at the Pan American Sports Organization (PASO), regard the suspension normal and acceptable rather than facing a much worse situation of the revocation of Ladetec’s accreditation.

“It is important to understand that not all labs are proficient in every technique. This is something normal that can happen to laboratories. The problem would have been if (Ladetec’s) accreditation had been revoked,” Radler said.

Anti-Doping Lab Must Meet WADA’s Standards

The penalty however, came as a hard blow to Brazil since the Olympic Committee chose their country to host the 2016 Olympics. On top of that, the country will also host the 2014 Soccer World Cup.

The Rio laboratory is then expected to test samples for all athletes participating in the said events being the only WADA-approved facility in Brazil. All athletes participating in any international and national competition are subjected for steroid tests under the WADA rules. This is applicable in any type of sports being held at the world cups and Olympics. The WADA rules further include that all qualifying matches leading to the Olympics will undergo doping tests.

With two gigantic sports event on their plate, it is very important for Brazil to have an accredited anti-doping lab within the country to facilitate testing of athletes. With Ladetec, on suspension and re-evaluation phase, Brazil should keep their fingers crossed. They must hope that the anti-doping lab will meet WADA’s requirements with regards to steroid testing.

As the host country for the 2012 Olympics, the British Olympic Association (BOA) and the UK Anti-Doping (UKAD) works hard to clean their roster of athletes competing in the Olympiad. They want to show to other participating countries that they will not tolerate cheaters. One way to do that is to impose stiff sanctions to erring athletes even if these athletes can provide gold for the United Kingdom.

Just recently, the UKAD announced that they handed the maximum sanction to one of the country’s top sprinter in the women’s division. A four-year ban was given to sprinter Bernice Wilson after anti-doping officials found two types of anabolic steroids in her system last June. Wilson represented the country in the European indoor championships in Paris and had a best time of 7.25 sec. in 60 meters. It was in the Bedford International Games where she tested positive for the steroid clenbuterol and testosterone.

Wilson Lost the Appeal

Bernice Wilson appealed but the National Anti-Doping Panel hearing her case ruled that she must be given a 4-year ban from the sport. The independent panel even castigated her for blaming other people and for not being truthful in her arguments. In its decision, the panel ruled that Wilson’s arguments were entirely without merit. She was even ordered to pay the UKAD for the costs incurred in the appeal proceedings.

Under the WADA Code, first time offenders are usually given 2-year suspension from the sport. However, in cases where an athlete was caught using more than two banned substances, the suspension can reach up to 4 years. It also states that the maximum penalty can also be given if the offending party uses deceptive conduct to get away with his or her doping.

BOA and UKAD Stands Firm on the 4-Year Ban

According to Andy Parkinson, the chief executive of UK Anti-Doping (UKAD), the case of Bernice Wilson will serve as a strong message to doping athletes. “It gives clean athletes the confidence we’re working hard on their behalf, within the framework of the World Anti-Doping Code, to protect their right to compete in doping free sport,” he said. Cheating in sports is betrayal which should not be tolerated. “We’ve successfully argued for a four-year ban which demonstrates UK Anti-Doping always seeks robust sanctions against athletes who look to cheat the system and betray those around them,” added Parkinson.

On the other hand, the chairman of the British Olympic Association Lord Moynihan also issued a statement regarding the maximum sanction on Wilson. “The message here is very clear: if you cheat, you should expect to be caught and sanctioned,” said Moynihan. He also added that there is absolutely no room in Olympic and international sport for the use of banned substances. “The rules are in place to protect the integrity of sport and the health and well-being of the overwhelming majority of athletes who choose to compete clean,” he added.

Hi-Tech Olympic Lab Unveiled

The UK Olympic organizers also unveiled their state of the art laboratory to be used during the 2012 London Olympics. The laboratory which is based in Harlow, Essex can test up to 6,250 blood and urine samples during the event. It will be manned by 150 scientists and being supported by GlaxoSmithKline, a leading pharma company. Participants in the summer Olympics will be tested randomly, in and out of competition.

Former Dopers Out of Olympics

Former athletes who already served their doping suspension will be facing a hard time getting their shot at the Olympics. The BOA is determined to block them from participating. A hearing on this issue will be held on March at the Court of Arbitration for Sport. Cyclist David Millar and sprinter Dwain Chambers may not be able to represent their country because of steroid related suspension. “We are confident we can win the case. We are standing by the declared desire of the vast majority of British athletes to see serious drugs cheats are not allowed to participate in the Olympics,” Moynihan told the media.

Another case of harsh punishment was given to shot putter Carl Fletcher last month. The athlete was involved in drug trafficking which include 16 types of class C substances. He distributed various types of anabolic steroids like trenbolone and testosterone. He was also caught selling human growth hormone. Fletcher was sentenced to nine month in prison plus a 4-year ban from the sport.

LaShawn Merritt is now up and about to compete for the upcoming Olympics competition this year at London after serving his 21 month doping suspension.

The American quarter-miler has been issued the green light to defend his medal in the upcoming 2012 London Olympics. A decision that was given by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) after Merritts’ lawyer and the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) contested the IOC’s rule 45.

The court nullified the rule 45 of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) which states that any athlete who received a doping suspension of more than six months will not be part of the next summer or winter games. Merrits’ camp argued that the amounted suspension of Merritt goes beyond the suspension penalty laid out by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).

Merritts’ drive to compete and win was not subdued with implications of performance-enhancing drug use charged to him. Even without knowing whether he would have a chance to be lined up again in a race, LaShawn Merritt continues to train while serving his suspension. Hard work paved off after recently winning a silver medal on his first game after his doping-suspension. He followed second to the brilliant Grenadian teenager Kirani James.

Placing second in the race was attributed to his lack of mental sharpness. Something that made him more determined to defend his medal and show dominance in the upcoming London Olympics.

An Honest Mistake Brought LaShawn Merritt’s Suspension

Anti-doping rules had made it clear for years that athletes are responsible for what they ingest, referring particularly in circumstances in which they consume supplements with indications in their labels that they contain banned substances. A responsibility that was overlooked by LaShawn Merritt when he used an over-the-counter sexual-enhancing drug with DHEA and another steroid called pregnenolone as primary ingredients. This caused him to flunk three drug tests.

The results showed a positive indication of anabolic steroid use. An extremely effective performance enhancing drug that enhances speed and strength. The Olympic track and field athlete however, later prove in the case that it was unintentional. He states that the use of the over-the-counter product that has an ingredient that can be used as a performance enhancer. However, he contend that he used the supplement at a time that he was neither seriously training nor competing showing that it was completely unrelated to athletics.

Nonetheless, from what Lashawn Merritt referred to as an honest mistake has divided the opinion of the rest of the world. Sensational controversies stirred up with inevitable ridicule of using a sexual-enhancement drug. But Merritt stand by his honest explanation even with temptations to come up with a less embarrassing excuse.

A Lesson Learned

Every athlete does whatever it is that’s necessary to bring them closer to achieving their goals. Sometimes even in expense of health, happiness and even the law. With several athletes’ involvement in steroids and performance enhancing drugs these days, it’s hard to believe in honest mistakes. In this case, it has been proven to be committed without intent but nonetheless results in somewhat a large extent of damage for Merritt.

It was beneficial for him to be found under exceptional circumstance which shows that he did not demonstrate significant fault or negligence, making the reduction of his standard two-year ban agreeable. His comeback game to this years’ competition in Olympics would be the best chance for Merritt to prove that he’s indeed the worlds’ top quarter-miler.

Turkey’s first female Olympic gold medalist brought another doping scandal to Turkey. She tested positive for anabolic steroids this year.

The need for explosive strength in Olympic weightlifting may have pushed the international weight lifting champion, Nurcan Taylan to turn to steroids. The fast and intense range of movement of a weightlifter requires ample training, well-built muscles and body strength. Weightlifting dynamics and explosive lifts are true test to athlete’s body condition and talent. These can be attained with steroid on their side. This is one of the reasons why several professional athletes still rely on banned performance enhancing drugs.

Successful Weightlifting Career

The successful weightlifting career of Taylan started in 2002 after winning her first gold medal at the European Junior Weightlifting Championship in Warsaw. Trained by her coach Mehmet Ustundag at an early age of 11, Taylan emerge triumphant in all her weightlifting events.

Her first European title came on 2003 after soaring the highest score on her weight class. The following year, she won her second European title. She lifted two World and five Olympic records in the women’s 48 kg category at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens bragging a gold medal for Turkey.

She managed this victory at the Mediterranean Games in 2005 bringing home another gold medal. At the European Weightlifting Championship, a silver medal is once again given for her excellent performance. From 2008 to this year’s championship, the Turkish weightlifter earned European titles four years in a row, proving her excellence in her chosen sports.

Taylan Pulled Out From the World Weightlifting Championships, Out of Olympics

At the last minute of the world championship weightlifting event at Paris, Nurcan Taylan was pulled out among the list of contestants due to the positive drug test result released by the International Weightlifting Federation.

She was found to be taking steroids, a banned substance in professional competitions. Taylan’s penalty on her steroid use entails a 4-year suspension from the international weightlifting events preventing her from joining the competition next year. This will also result to her disqualification in the 2012 London Olympics.

An Appeal to the Steroid Test Result

The 28-year old Turkish weightlifter contested the decision of the IWF. The federation agreed to conduct another drug test to make certain that the first result is indeed correct. Steroid testing procedure initially includes obtaining two samples from the athletes. A second sample is ready for testing if the athlete contests the result.

The second sample was then tested at Cologne, Germany for confirmatory test. The result was again positive.

Hailed as a record-breaking champion after winning all the top honors in Olympic and European weightlifting events, Taylan really worked hard to mark her name in international sports for years. The use of steroids will be a big setback to her weightlifting career as the IWF is likely to give her punishment according to the rules of the federation.

Prior to this, Turkey’s legendary World and Olympic Weightlifting Champion Halil Mutlu was also banned from 2005 to 2007 due the use of performance enhancing drugs. Three Turkish athletes were also temporarily suspended after avoiding a drug test to be conducted by the International Weightlifting Federation back in 2005. That year, Turkey was not allowed to join the World Weightlifting Championship in Qatar. A decision that stunned the Turkish sports since most of the country’s medals in major events came from the weightlifting team.

The top women track and field athletes of India were lucky that the committee investigating their doping case gave them lighter punishment. The National Anti-doping Agency panel headed by Dinesh Dayal put into consideration the argument of the women athletes that they did not took the banned substances intentionally. The women athletes are candidates for the 2012 Olympics in London because of their impressive records. One of them is Ashwini Akkunji who holds two gold medals in the Asian Games last year.

Reduced Steroid Suspension to 1 Year

Dayal announced the decision at the headquarters of the National Anti-Doping Agency last Friday. The six track and field athletes - Ashwini Akkunji, Mandeep Kaur, Sini Jose, Mary Tiana Thomas, Priyanka Pawar, and Jauna Murmu received 1 year ban in the sport. The panel found them not guilty of intentionally taking steroids. However, a positive result for steroid test still requires suspension under the anti-doping rules.

“We find all the seven athletes guilty of doping violations under clause 2.1 of Anti-doping Rule. The date of suspension begins from today and any period under provisional suspension shall be credited in their penalty period which is one year,” Dayal told the media.

First time violators automatically receives two year ban. But in the case of these women track athletes, the suspension was based on no fault rule. “We did not find any significant fault on the part of these athletes on how the banned substance entered their bodies and they will get reduced penalty under clause 10.5.2 NADA rule,” Dayal added.

NADA also disclosed that the source of banned substances which were detected inside the system of these 6 athletes was the Ginseng Kinapi Pill. This nutritional supplement was given to them by the Ukrainian coach. The women athletes earlier argued that they could not be held liable because they only followed the instructions of their coach. Since coach Ogorodnik is an appointed coach of the SAI, athletes assumed that what they are taking are legal supplements. Laboratory analysis of the sample supplement returned positive for stanozolol and methandienone, both are anabolic steroids.

Chances to Compete in the London Olympics Nil

Although the women track and field athletes proved their innocence, their Olympic dream is already nil. According to a sports official, the qualifying period for the London Olympics ends in July 2, 2012. The provisional suspension of these athletes started June and July this year so that would mean they can’t meet the requirements set forth by the Olympics and IAAF. Akkunji and Pawar, for example, were suspended July 4 and it will end on July 3 next year. A day after the qualification period ends.

The IAAF also requires suspended athletes to undergo reinstatement tests for 3 times. However, the four other athletes, Mandeep, Jose, Murmu and Thomas were suspended in the month of June so they still have a chance to enter the qualifying rounds. However, there is also another problem. If their replacements also qualify for the Olympics, they may not be included anymore in the team. The final decision to compete in the Olympics also lies with the International Athletic Federation. This will make their comeback a little more difficult.

Another Athlete Suspended

Another athlete was also suspended by NADA. However, Harikrishanan Muraleedharan, a long jumper, was given 2-year suspension. He tested positive for the steroid methandienone.

We have heard a lot of stories about professional athletes blaming the food they eat particularly meat as the culprit in their failed steroid tests. Tour de France champion Alberto Contador tested positive for the steroid clenbuterol but the cyclist argued that it was caused by a contaminated meat. Several Mexican football players flanked a steroid test in the recent World Cup. All of them argued that their positive test could be due to eating meat fed with a type of steroid, Clenbuterol. An Olympic medalist in weightlifting was also caught by anti-doping authorities with high levels of Clenbuterol but he pointed the authorities to pork chops as the source of the steroid.

Anti-doping Agencies Discourage Athletes from Eating Tainted Meat

In the previous months, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) was also alarmed by reports that the use of the steroid clenbuterol in cattle farms in China and other parts of the world is still rampant. WADA has been very vocal on the risks of clenbuterol tainted meat. In fact some sports organizations warned their athletes not to eat meat products from certain countries just to make sure they will not test positive for steroids.

And the latest agency to warn athletes about the dangers of eating contaminated meat products is the Food Standard Agency of the United Kingdom. In a recent advisory, the FSA told athletes to avoid eating liver as this meat product may contain high amounts of the steroid clenbuterol. The UK Anti-Doping Agency already warned their Olympic athletes about this issue. They won’t want their athletes become victims of unintentional doping especially that the 2012 Olympics in London is getting near.

According to the FSA, eating large portion of bovine liver with high concentration of clenbuterol can lead to a positive test for steroids. Though it still depends on a lot factors such as the amount of liver consumed, the levels of clenbuterol in the meat, the time of testing, and the methods used to analyze the samples.

A positive test before and during the Olympics can lead to disqualification and a 2-year ban from their sports.

Clenbuterol is banned in Olympics

Clenbuterol is a steroid formulated for animal use. It is used by cattle farmers to speed up muscle growth of their livestock. It also promotes lean muscles so that would mean better market prices for the meat products. However, the use of Clenbuterol has spread to bodybuilding and professional sports. Most bodybuilders use this steroid as a fat burner. It is usually recommended during a cutting cycle where the athlete or bodybuilder wants to shed more fats before and after going on a steroid cycle.

The use of clenbuterol comes with side effects. It can increase the heart rate, cause nervousness, headache and muscular tremor. But some athletes, these are overshadowed by the benefits they get from this steroid.

Meat Source of Protein

Sports organization will be facing a hard time identifying contaminated meat. Professional athletes will never know if the menu from restaurants or meat products from the groceries are free from this type of steroid. Meat is a great source of protein. It is a part of the usual diet of training athletes so it’s hard to eliminate this food from the menu.

Athletes and Olympians will always face the risk of ingesting contaminated meat. So it will not be a shock if there will be more news of Olympic athletes testing positive for Clenbuterol. And besides, there are still some who intentionally use this steroid to gain competitive advantage.