In September 2020 the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) reported that the Jockey Kevin Lundie tested positive for the prohibited substance Cocaine.

Previously in July 2019 the Jockey's license was suspended for 6 months by the BHA after he tested positive for the prohibited substance Cocaine.

After notification a provisional suspension was ordered while there were delays for months in the investigations attributed to the Jockey. It appeared he had gone abroad to work in Dubai and until March 2021 he failed to attend the scheduled online interviews with the BHA. Ultimately the Jockey was heard for the BHA Judicial Panel in August 2021.

The BHA contended that the Jockey again had been tested positive for Cocaine and prior had failed to attend the interviews with the BHA. It requested the Panel to impose a sanction of 2 years for the Jockey's second violation of the Racing Rules.

After his first suspension the Jockey admitted that he had committed a second violation. He testified that 4 days before the race at a party he had consumed a lot of alcohol and apparently had used Cocaine. Due to his alcohol problem he accepted a 6 month contract in Dubai to stay sober. He acknowledged and explained his failure to timely respond and to attend the interviews with the BHA.

The Panel accepts that the Jockey not intentionally had avoided the interviews with the BHA, yet that he had caused substantial delays in the proceedings. Further the Panel recommends that the Jockey seek professional advice and assistance for his problems.

Therefore the BHA Judicial Panel decides on 26 Augtust 2021 for the suspension of the Jockey's license for 2 years, starting on the date of the provisional suspension, i.e. on 16 September 2020 until 15 September 2022.

CAS 2021/O/7977 World Athletics (WA) v. Shelby Houlihan

• Athletics (middle-distance)
• Doping (nandrolone/19-norandrosterone (19-NA))
• Prerogative of a laboratory
• Burden of proof of a lack of intention to commit an Anti-
• Doping Rule Violation (ADRV)
• Rebuttal of the presumption that an ADRV is intentional through hair analysis and polygraph testing
  
  

1. Irrespective of whether or not an athlete invoked the ingestion of boar offal as a possible explanation for an adverse analytical finding, it is a laboratory’s prerogative to interpret whether a gas chromatography/carbon/isotope-ration mass spectrometry (GC/C/IRMS) analysis is “not consistent with the exogenous production of the parent compound” or “inconclusive” in light of the Technical Document (TD) 2021NA.

2. According to art. 10.2.1 of the edition 2020 of the World Athletics Anti-Doping Rules (WA ADR), the burden of proof that the ADRV was not intentional is on the athlete. Unlike for “no fault” or “no significant fault”, the WA ADR does not provide that the athlete must show how the substance entered her system in order to claim that the ADRV was not intentional.

3. Neither the positive result of a hair analysis nor of a polygraph test are sufficient for an athlete to rebut the presumption that his/her ADRV was intentional.

In January 2021 the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) for World Athletics reported an anti-doping rule violation against the American Athlete Shelby Houlihan after her A and B samples tested positive for the prohibited substance 19-norandrosterone (Nandrolone).

After notification a provisional suspension was ordered. In May 2021 the case was referred to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) for a first instance hearing panel. Previously the Athlete's request to lift the imposed provisional suspension was rejected by the AIU as by CAS.

The Athlete denied the intentional use of the substance and  argued that the 19-norandrosterone entered her body by eating a burrito from a food truck containing pork offal and that the burrito was the only possible source of the 19-norandrosterone in the Sample.

The Athlete disputed the test results and asserted, supported by an expert witness, that the analytical results of the Montreal Lab should haven been reported as an Atypical Finding. Further she argued that TD2021NA applies since this document was approved and published and because of the application of the principle of lex mitior.

The Panel establishes that the TD2021NA is applicable in this matter and a majority of the Panel finds that the Athlete failed to demonstrate that the Adverse Analytical Finding (AAF) was not properly reported pursuant to the ISL, neither that the anti-doping rule violation was not properly managed, asserted and notified pursuant to the ISRM.

Following assessment of the evidence the Panel:

• finds it possible but unlikely that the Athlete’s burrito contained boar offal;
• finds it possible but unlikely that the ingestion of boar offal would have resulted in the urinary concentration of 19-norandrosterone found in the Athlete’s A and B samples;
• finds it possible but not probable that the ingestion of boar offal would have resulted in the Athlete’s reported urinary concentration of 19-NA or her carbon isotope ratio of -23‰;
• finds that neither the hair analysis nor the polygraph results are sufficient for the Athlete to satisfy her burden of proving that the anti-doping rule violation was not intentional.

Finally the Panel concludes that the Athlete has not satisfied her burden of proof on the balance of probabilities that the anti-doping rule violation was unintentional, and that the violation must be deemed intentional.

Therefore the Court of Arbitration for Sport decides on 27 August 2021 that:

1. The request for arbitration filed by World Athletics on 18 May 2021 against Shelby Houlihan is upheld.
2. Shelby Houlihan is found to have committed an anti-doping rule violation pursuant to Rule 2.1 and Rule 2.2 of the World Athletics Anti-Doping Rules.
3. Shelby Houlihan is subject to a period of ineligibility of four (4) years starting on 14 January 2021.
4. All competitive results obtained by Shelby Houlihan from 15 December 2020 through to 14 January 2021 are disqualified, including forfeiture of any titles, awards, medals, points and prize and appearance money obtained during this period.
5. (…).
6. (…).
7. All other motions or requests for relief are dismissed.
8. The present decision is confidential, unless the President of the CAS Ordinary Arbitration Division decides that it should be made public.

Strengthening Athlete Power in Sport : A multidisciplinary review and framework / Alberto Carrio, Arnout Geeraert, Evie Ham, Andy Harvey, Alban Zohn, Mike McNamee (Ed.). - Aarhus : Play the Game; Danish Institute for Sports Studies, 2021

• ISBN978-87-93784-57-4

The project Strengthening Athlete Power in Sport (SAPIS) aimed at strengthening the influence and representation of athletes in the way that their sports organizations are governed and managed has released their first output.

The output, a literature review produced by the project’s academic partners, demonstrates that academic research on questions of athlete representation is limited. Therefore, to effectively capture what happens on the ground in terms of political structures and groups that promote athlete’s interests, in addition to scientific academic literature other documents have been included.  

The review is organized under the following headings: 

• Democracy and sports governance 
• Legitimacy of sports governance 
• Athletes and industrial relations 
• The special features of the sports sector 
• Athlete activism 
• The grey literature on athletes’ rights 

Adverse effects and potential benefits among selective androgen receptor modulators users : a cross-sectional survey / Iakov V. Efimenko, David Valancy, Justin M. Dubin, Ranjith Ramasamy. - (International Journal of Impotence Research (2021) 1 September)

• PMID: 34471228
• DOI: 10.1038/s41443-021-00465-0

Abstract

Selective androgen receptor modulators (SARMs) are a class of androgen receptor ligands that bind androgen receptors and display tissue selective activation of androgenic signaling. SARMs have selective anabolic effects on muscle and bone, and were originally synthesized for treatment of muscle wasting conditions, osteoporosis, breast cancer. To date, no SARM has been clinically approved and little is known about the beneficial effects and other adverse effects on users. We examined the adverse effects and potential benefits of SARMs amongst users. We performed an internet survey assessing the demographics of users via a 32-question survey. Using reddit as a platform, we distributed the survey through various subreddits that included potential SARMs users. Out of the 520 responses, 343 participants admitted having used SARMs. Most were males (98.5%), between the ages of 18-29 (72.3%). More than 90% of users acquired SARMs via the internet and did not consult with a physician. More than half of SARMs users experienced side effects including mood swings, decreased testicular size, and acne. More than 90% of men reported increased muscle mass and were satisfied with their SARMs usage. Despite having seemingly positive effects, more than 50% of SARMs users report significant adverse effects. Chi square was the main method of statistical analysis. Future studies should focus on comprehensive reproductive evaluation of men using SARMs.

Exploring the harms arising from polysubstance use among performance and image enhancing drug users among young Australian men / Timothy M. Piatkowski, Matthew Dunn, Katherine M. White, Leanne M. Hides, Patricia L. Obst

• Performance Enhancement & Health 9 (2021) 3-4 (October), 100197
• DOI: 10.1016/j.peh.2021.100197

Abstract

Evidence suggests young men who use performance and image enhancing drugs (PIEDs) in Australia also engage in alcohol and party drug use. Such polysubstance use is concerning as it could exacerbate the harms that come from using either PIEDs or other drugs alone. The present study employed semi-structured interviews with 12 young men which aimed to explore patterns of PIED and other drug use among a sample of young men who use PIEDs in Australia. Analysis of interview data identified typical patterns of PIED use and other drug use among this group. The analysis yielded two themes: 1) extent of compound use for body enhancement and 2) alcohol and other drug use resulting in harms for PIED users. The present findings underscore that young men who use PIEDs represent an at risk population for alcohol and party drug use and the increased array of harms that the combination of multiple substances produces.

Drug-Induced Liver Injury From Enobosarm (Ostarine), a Selective Androgen Receptor Modulator / Harjot Bedi, Carl Hammond, David Sanders, Hui-Min Yang, Eric M. Yoshida. - (ACG Case Reports Journal 8 (2021) 1 (January); p. 1-3)

• PMID: 34368386
• PMCID: PMC8337042
• DOI: 10.14309/crj.0000000000000518

Abstract

Anabolic steroids are well-known to cause liver injury, which may manifest with jaundice and elevated liver enzymes. Selective androgen receptor modulators (SARMs) have been developed to enhance muscle bulk without the side effects associated with exogenous androgen steroids. We report a case of significant cholestatic liver injury associated with a SARM, ostarine (enobosarm), similar to that associated with anabolic steroids. Liver injury from SARMs has not been reported frequently, and we speculate that this may be seen more often as the consumption of SARMs increases in the athletic market.

Double trouble? A mixed methods study exploring experiences with combined use of anabolic-androgenic steroids and psychoactive substances among women / Ingrid Amalia Havnes, Marie Lindvik Jørstad, Astrid Bjørnebekk. - (Performance Enhancement & Health (2021) 100198 (5 September);

• DOI: 10.1016/j.peh.2021.100198

Abstract

Concurrent use of anabolic-androgenic steroids (AAS) and psychoactive substances (illicit drugs and alcohol) is found common in studies among men and involves a higher risk of adverse events than AAS use alone. However, women who use AAS represent an understudied group, and little is known about their pattern of psychoactive substance use and possible links to AAS use. The aim of this mixed methods paper is to a) examine lifetime and problem use of psychoactive substances and AAS, and b) explore experiences of AAS and psychoactive substance use including understandings of how these substances may be related among women with current or previous AAS use.

Among sixteen women with current or previous AAS use, lifetime psychoactive substance and AAS use, AAS dependence and problem drug and alcohol use were assessed. In-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted, audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim and analyzed thematically within a biopsychosocial framework applying pharmacological agency; the concept of bodily surveillance of effect and the ability to handle substances instrumentally to feel oneselves/ones bodies better.

Twelve participants reported lifetime substance use, where cannabis, cocaine and amphetamines were most commonly used. Substance use problems were found among eight participants; five had lifetime AAS-dependence and clinically significant drug and/or alcohol dependence scores, two had lifetime AAS dependence, and one had clinically significant drug dependence scores. Psychoactive substance use was experienced as unrelated to AAS use or it could be used to counteract side effects of AAS. On the contrary, AAS was used to cope with the bodily and emotional change following withdrawal from psychoactive substances and to counteract bodily effects of long-term substance use. Being in substance use disorder (SUD) treatment after detoxification with affected mental health, a passive lifestyle and experiencing a transition from having an emaciated body, gaining weight and becoming unfit, was experienced to motivate AAS initiation during treatment.

The polysubstance nature of AAS use including use of psychoactive substances and risk of developing SUDs poses a significant health risk. Health professionals need to understand motivations for combined use of AAS and psychoactive substances among women to be able to prevent harms and address individual treatment needs.

iNADO Update (2021) 09 (6 September)
Institute of National Anti-Doping Organisations (iNADO)

Contents:

iNADO Community

• Two Athlete Focussed Updates from Drug Free Sport New Zealand
• UKAD Renews Partnership with The Drug Control Centre to Test Athlete Samples
• Eighth Session of the Conference of Parties to the International Conference against Doping in Sport scheduled for 26-28 October, 2021

Bulletin Board

• Reminder: Clean Sport Education Repository Webinar
• Reminder to apply for 2022 WADA Standing Committees

Athlete's Voice

• "Challenges of Paralympic athletes are different, as should
  be their anti-doping education."

Science

• Research Paper analyzes the Strengths and the Weaknesses of the 2021 WADA Code
• The Number of Records broken in Summer Olympic Games is decreasing

Practical Development in Anti-Doping

• iNADO's Survey about Substances of Abuse
• New Practical Information on the Use of Natural Products and Supplements

Feature of the Month

• TonTon visits iNADO

iNADO Partners & Sponsors

• New at the Anti-Doping Knowledge Center

Annual Report 2020 / Spanish Agency for the Protection of Health in Sport (AEPSAD). - Madrid : Agencia Española de Protección de la Salud en el Deporte, 2021

Annual Report 2020-2021 / South African Institute for Drugfree Sport (SAIDS). - Cape Town : SAIDS, 2021

• ISBN: 978-0-621-49694-9