Mr. Piotr Truszkowski is a Polish Athlete in the sport of IPC Ice Sledge Hockey. He competed at the 2012 IPC Ice Sledge Hockey B Pool World Championships in Novi Sad, Serbia where he provided a sample for doping control.
In December 2012 the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) has reported an anti-doping rule violation against the Athlete after his sample tested positive for the prohibited substance cannabis.
After notification a provisional suspension was ordered. The Athlete filed a statement in his defence and was heard for the IPC Anti-Doping Committee.
The Respondent returned the signed Letter of Decision to the IPC in a timely fashion. In the Letter of Decision, the Respondent stated that he accepted that he had committed an Anti-Doping Rule Violation; however he also included an accompanying letter requesting that consideration be given to reducing both the sanction and financial sanction. He requested that his circumstances including his phantom pain and limited income be considered when looking at his case.
The Athlete gave in his statement a detailed explanation of the many pain killers he had been prescribed. He also informed the IPC that he had tried THC as an ultimate attempt to relieve his phantom pain.
The Hearing Panel is comfortably satisfied that the Athlete did not use the substance to enhance his performance. He was also able to explain how the substance entered his body. The Hearing Panel accepts that the Respondent meets the criteria to consider a reduction or elimination of the applicable Period of Ineligibility.
The Hearing Panel notes that in this case the Polish Paralympic Committee failed in its responsibilities of educating its athletes on anti-doping matters. The Respondent declared that he had not been educated properly on anti-doping rules and matters. At the Hearing, the NPC representative, was unable to clarify whether the Polish Paralympic Committee has a well-functioning TUE Committee in place.
The IPC Anti-Doping Committee recommends the following to the IPC Governing Board:
(a.) the standard sanction should be reduced and a one-year period of ineligibility should be imposed on the Respondent;
(b.) pursuant to Article 10.9.2 of the Code, the Respondent shall receive credit for the timely admission and should therefore be declared ineligible from 13 December 2012 (date of reply to the notification accepting the commission of an anti-doping rule violation) until 12 December 2013; and
(c.) pursuant to Article 10.11 of the Code and the IPC Handbook, Section 2, Chapter 1.2 (‘Rules on the imposition of financial sanctions for anti-doping rule violations’), a financial sanction of €750 should be imposed, as this is proportionate to the reduced length of the sanction.
On 25 January 2013 the IPC Governing Board accepted the recommendation of the IPC Anti-Doping Committee.
