In October 2023 the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU), on behalf on World Athletics, reported multipe anti-doping rule violations against the Ethiopian Athlete Zerfe Wondemagegn.

The AIU established that the Athlete's samples, provided in August, in September and in November 2023, tested positive for the prohibited substances Recombinant Erythropoietin (RhEPO) and Testosterone with its metabolites.

Following notification the Athlete timely admitted the violation, waived her right for a hearing, accepted a provisional suspension and the sanction proposed by the AIU.

The Athlete explained with evidence that she underwent medical treatment in a clinic in Ethiopia and that in July 2023 EPO had been administered as treatment for her diagnosed anemia and kidney infection. Yet, she could not explain the presence of Testosterone in her sample.

The AIU deems that the Athlete failed to establish that the violation was not intentional and that there are aggravating circumstances present in this case. Because she had signed and submitted the Admission of Anti-Doping Rule Violations and Acceptance of Consequences Form she received a 1 year reduction from the AIU.

Therefore the AIU decides on 19 April 2024 to impose a 5 year period of ineligibility on the Athlete, starting on the date of the provisional suspension, i.e. on 20 October 2023.

iNADO Update (2024) 03/04 (23 April)
Institute of National Anti-Doping Organisations (iNADO)

Contents:

Building a Supportive Community

• Paris 2024 Paralympic Games- Anti-Doping Programme to NADOs
• iNADO Collection Campaign: NADOs Visual/Video Materials
• The International Conference on Doping and Public Health, June 17-18th in Stockholm

Improving Practice Everywhere

• Scheduled webinar
• Webinar WADA Groups Summary and Recording 
• 2024 Workshop summary, feedback and PPT links
• Informed Sport - Supporting the Anti-doping Community 

Speaking Up for NADOs & RADO Globally

• Recent Media Reports about Chinese Swimmers
• Newly Elected iNADO Governing Board - Message from Anders Solheim (iNADO Chair)
• AFLD Visit to iNADO's Office

Guiding Principles

• Guiding Principles Online Form

Monthly Features

• Prepared for What is to Come - by departing CEO Jorge Leyva 

iNADO Sponsors & Partners

Psychosocial factors facilitating use of cognitive enhancing drugs in education : a qualitative investigation of moral disengagement and associated processes / Andrew Robert Heyes, Ian David Boardley

• Drugs: Education, Prevention and Policy 26 (2019) 4, p. 329-338
• DOI:10.1080/09687637.2019.1586831
• Special Issue: Pharmaceutical Cognitive Enhancement

Abstract

Illicit use of prescription drugs (e.g. modafinil) to enhance academic performance – termed cognitive enhancement (CE) – is a legal, health, and ethical issue. Guided by Bandura’s social cognitive theory of moral thought and action, this study investigated whether student users of CE evidenced specific psychosocial mechanisms (i.e. mechanisms of moral disengagement) when explaining their reasons for CE. Following ethical approval from the lead author’s institution, in-depth-semi-structured interviews were conducted with nine students with experience of CE. Data were content analysed deductively, using definitions for the eight mechanisms of moral disengagement; six of the eight mechanisms were identified through data analysis: diffusion of responsibility (DR), advantageous comparison (AC), distortion of consequences (DCs), displacement of responsibility, moral justification, and euphemistic labelling. In addition, inductive data analysis identified three further themes; self-medication, family and friends, and institutional position. Overall, the study findings suggest students may morally disengage to justify and rationalise use of CE to minimise negative emotional responses (e.g. guilt) that may be expected to result given the potential legal-, health-, and ethics-based deterrents to CE.