Related case:
CAS 2020_A_7528 Chistian Coleman vs World Athletics
April 15, 2021
In June 2020 the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) of World Athletics has reported an an anti-doping rule violation against the American Athlete Christian Coleman for his Whereabouts Filing Failure and 2 Missed Tests in a 12 month period. After notification a provisional suspension was ordered. The Athlete filed a statement in his defence and he was heard for the Disciplinary Tribunal.
The DCO on duty reported that on 26 April 2019 the Athlete was not present at his residence in Lexington, Kentucky, during the 60-minute period between 7:30 pm and 8:30 pm while in fact the Athlete was in West Des Moines, Iowa.
On 9 December 2019 the two DCOs on duty reported that the Athlete was not present at his residence in Lexingto during the 60-minute period between 7:15 pm and 8:15 pm for testing. They testified that they remained directly in front of the house of the Athlete until 8:15 pm.
The Athlete did not contest the Missed test in January 2019 but contested the Filing Failure in April 2019 and the Missed Test in December 2019. He argued that on 26 April 2019 he changed his Whereabouts information prior to the 60-minute period and thus there was no Filing Failure.
The Athlete testified that on 9 December 2019 he was out for Christmas shopping and he arrived at his residence shortly before the end op the one-hour period between 8:00 pm and 8:10 pm. He asserted that the DCOs must have left slightly before the end of the 60-minute timeslot and must have just missed him when he returned home.
The Panel establish that the Athlete on 26 April 2019 only updated his whereabouts after he had received the call from the DCO and that was two days after he had arrived in Iowa, and about three days after he was informed that the circumstances will change.
In addition the evidence shows that on 9 December 2019 the Athlete made a purchase from a Walmart Supercenter at 8:22 pm and the Panel finds it obvious that the Athlete did not go home after this 8:22 pm purchase.
Consequently the Panel concludes that the Athlete committed a Filing Failure on 26 April 2019 and a Missed Test on 9 December 2019.
The Panel considers that previously the Athlete had a narrow escape from a potential ban after he had missed tests in combination of his good performances at the same time. This raised a red flag with the AIU, leading to their instruction to give a "no call" instruction during the one-hour period on 9 December 2019.
The Panel rejected the Athlete's allegations that the authorities had developed a strategy in an effort to chatch him out, and finds that he persisted in an exculpatory version of events as to what happened on 9 December 2019. The Panel holds that the Athlete's behaviour was very careless at best and reckless at worst.
Therefore the Disciplinary Tribunal decides on 22 October 2020 to impose a 2 year period of ineligibility on the Athlete starting on the date of the provisional suspension, i.e. 14 May 2020.
