Related case:
UKAD 2016 UKAD vs Adrian Canaveral
June 27, 2017
In February 2019 the United Kingdom Anti-Doping (UKAD) has reported an anti-doping rule violation against the weightlifter Adrian Canaveral for this refusal or failing to submit to sample collection after notification in September 2018. Here the Athlete already served a 4 year period of ineligibility, imposed on 27 June 2017, after he tested positive for multiple prohibited substances.
The Athlete stated in his submissions that he already had signed and submitted his retirement letter several months back in order not to be eligble for testing. In this matter the Athlete refused the repeated invitations from UKAD to an interview, failed to respond to the charge nor provided any evidence in his defence. The case was settled by a sole arbitrator based on the written submissions of the parties.
The Sole Arbitrator is not satisfied on a balance of probabilities the Athlete had notified the 'sport' of his retirement. Not his letter to his 'sport' was located nor the confirmation from his 'sport' that he had retired. The absence of this evidence leads to the inevitable conclusion that the Athlete had not retired from sport at the time of the attempted sample collection in September 2018. Accordingly the Athlete remained subject to the obligation in respect of providing a sample under the Rules.
The Arbitrator established that in September 2018 the Athlete was properly notified and that he had signed the Doping Control Form to confirm that he refused and failed to provide a sample. Accordingly the Arbitrator deems that the Athlete committed intentionally a new anti-doping rule violation and failed to demonstrate "compelling justification" as he believed that he had retired.
Therefore the Sole Arbitrator decides on 7 October 2019 to impose an 8 year period of ineligibility on the Athlete for his second anti-doping rule violation. This sanction is running consecutively to the current period of ineligibility, starting on 9 October 2020 and ending on 8 October 2028.
