In March 2018 the International Skating Union (ISU) has reported an anti-doping rule violation against the Korean skater Sin Da-Woon for three whereabouts filing failures within a twelve-month period. During the Athlete’s 2 year military service in the Korean Armed Forces the Athlete failed to appear for testing at the indicated military facilities and at the indicated Icerink in Seoul.
The Korean Skating Union (KSU) explained that the Athlete’s unavailability was caused by his military team training schedule and that he was not allowed to have a cell phone during his military service. At the Icerink in Seoul the Athlete underwent an off-ice training and his cell phone number was not listed in ADAMS.
The panel is willing to accept the explanation given by the Athlete / KSU for the third Whereabouts Failure and finds that the Fault of the Athlete as to this failure consists in having chosen a time-slot which realistically could not be met on his side. He should have moved the time-slot on this day to a time adequate to his availability as a person in military service under military rule. This goes also for the two other Whereabouts Failures where the Alleged Athlete could have avoided them if he more reasonably and reflectively considered his unavailability due to his military service.
The Panel also takes into consideration that the Alleged Athlete was included into the ISU RTP for his first time, that he was unexperienced in handling the ADAMS system and the failures had been committed at an early stage of use of the system. The Panel does not see a pattern of last-minute whereabouts changes or other suspicious conduct.
Therefore the ISU Disciplinary Commission decides on 28 April 2018 to reduce the sanction and to impose a 1 year period of ineligibility on the Athlete starting on the date of the decision.
