In April 2021 United Kingdom Anti-Doping (UKAD) has reported an anti-doping rule violation against the visually impaired para-cyclist Erin McBride after her A and B sample tested positive for the prohibited substance Ostarine.
After notification the Athlete gave a prompt admission, waived her right for a hearing, accepted a provisional suspension and the sanction proposed by UKAD. The Athlete denied the intentional use of the substance and asserted that she could not demonstrate with any evidence that the violation was not intentional in order to receive a reduced sanction.
The Athlete testified that due to her visual impairment she had considerable difficulties in finding the source of the positive test results. She lacked the assistance of her boy friend during her investigations into her supplements whereas had she had financial limitations that prevented her to test her supplements and to find the possible source of contamination.
UKAD finds that the presence of a prohibited substance has been established in the Athlete's samples and accordingly that she committed an anti-doping rule violation. UKAD considers that the Athlete gave a prompt admission as ground for a reduced sanction and that she failed to demonstrate that the violation was not intentional.
Therefore UKAD decides on 23 September to impose a reduced 3 year period of ineligibility on the Athlete, starting on the date of the provisional suspension, i.e. on 23 April 2021.
