In June 2020 Drug Free Sport New Zealand (DFSNZ) has reported an anti-doping rule violation against the life saver John Elsmor after his sample tested positive for the prohibited substance Cannabis in a concentration above the WADA treshold (1516 ng/ml).
After notification the Athlete gave a prompt admission, waived his right to be heard, accepted the test result and a provisional suspension. He stated that he had used the substance five to seven days before he was tested to cope with stress.
DFSNZ accepted that the Athlete’s violation was not intentional with grounds for No Significant Fault or Negligence. DFSNZ proposed a 9 month period of ineligibility considering that the Athlete gave a prompt admission and that the use of Cannabis was unrelated to sport performance.
In July 2020 a joint memorandum was filed on behalf of DFSNZ and the Athlete. The Sports Tribunal of New Zealand considers the joint memorandum to be appropriate and decides on 31 July 2020 to impose a 9 month period of ineligibility on the Athlete starting on the date of the sample collection, i.e. on 14 March 2020.
