In March 2020 the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) of World Athletics has reported an an anti-doping rule violation against the American Athlete Deajah Steven for her Whereabouts Filing Failures and 3 Missed Tests in a 12 month period.
After notification a provisional suspension was ordered. The Athlete filed a statement in her defence and she was heard for the Disciplinary Tribunal.
The Athlete denied the anti-doping rule violation but did not contest the first Missed Test on 21 February 2019. For her second Missed Test on 18 August 2018 she claimed that she didn’t know that there had been a DCO at her door while she missed the DCO’s phone calls because her phone had run out of battery. Regarding the third Missed Test on 25 November 2019 she explained that she was harassed at that time and that she had changed her phone number but failed to update her Whereabouts record.
The Panel established that the first Missed Test was uncontested and the second Missed Test was based on a string of unpersuasive excuses. The third Missed Test was negligent because she had not updated her number.
Because of the harrassements she receive on her phone the Panel accepts that she changed her phone number but unconsciously failed to update her Whereabouts record. As a result the Panel deems that there are ground for a reduced sanction and it finds that there were substantial delays in this case attributed to both parties.
Therefore the Disciplinary Tribunal decides on 9 July 2020 to impose a 6 month period of ineligibility on the Athlete starting backdated on 17 February 2020.
