Mr. Shota Omarashvili (Respondent) is a Georgian athlete in the sport of IPC Powerlifting.
Respondent competed at the London 2012 Paralympic Games where he provided a sample for doping control.
The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) has reported an anti doping rule violation against Respondent after his sample showed an adverse analytical finding related to the prohibited substance 5α-androstane-3α,17α-diol. The IPC notified Respondent of the doping violation and ordered a provisional suspension.
The notification letter enclosed a letter “Letter of Decision” for the Respondent to complete and return to IPC by no later than 6 September 2012. Respondent returned the signed Letter of Decision to the IPC.
Respondent stated that he admits that he has committed an anti-doping and that he accepts the consequences.
Respondent stated that he was unsure of how the prohibited substance entered his body, but suspects that it may have been contained in one of the nutritional supplements he used prior to the competition. He had purchased these supplements at supermarkets an pharmacies in Georgia, therefore he searched the internet and studied the product labels and did not note any prohibited substances on the label. Respondent had no doctor or a sports nutritionist that advised him on medication or nutrition. He has been advised by friends on what supplements to use and did not, but did not inform his coach about the supplements he was taking.
The Committee noted that in this particular case, the current system op NPC Georgia had not worked. NPC Georgia responded that it is working on putting in place an anti-doping program and that cases like this one highlighted the need for a more structured system.
The IPC Anti-Doping Committee recommends to the IPC Governing Body:
(a) to impose a two-year period of ineligibility from 6 September 2012 (date of the notification);
(b) to impose a financial sanction of € 1500,- on Respondent.
On 8 September 2012 the IPC Governing Board accepted the recommendation of the IPC Anti-Doping Committee.
