A Madrid court recently said the doctor at the centre of a Spanish doping probe may be jailed for up to two years for crimes against public health.

Prosecutors have asked for a two-year sentence for Eufemiano Fuentes and six others, including his sister Yolanda and former cycling team directors Manolo Saiz, Vicente Belda and Jose Ignacio Labarta, according to a court statement.

From Articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com:

Authorities also wanted them banned from practising their professions for the same period, the statement added.

Raids at the start of the operation uncovered anabolic steroids, blood transfusion equipment and more than 200 code-named blood bags, some of which were linked to cyclists including former Tour de France winner Jan Ullrich and Giro d’Italia champion Ivan Basso.

The investigation was halted twice without any prosecutions having been made but a court ordered it to be reopened last year.

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) had expressed frustration at the refusal by judicial authorities of Spain to allow them access to evidence related to the operation.

Tags:  Anabolic steroids, doping, Ivan Basso, Jan Ullrich, Tour de France

Posted in  Steroids | No Comments/Questions

Doubts about the reliability of doping violations for clenbuterol in the past have been raised with an outbreak of positive tests for the anabolic steroid clenbuterol at this summer’s under-17 football World Cup in Mexico.

An astonishing 109 positive tests were recorded for the banned drug out of 208 urine samples taken during the tournament, according to a revelation by FIFA.

From Telegraph.co.uk:

The statistics are so extraordinary that both FIFA and the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) have confirmed they will not be prosecuting any cases, blaming the failed tests on contaminated meat.

Mexican authorities admit the country has a major problem with farmers feeding clenbuterol to livestock to produce leaner, more valuable meat.

Based on what it describes as FIFA’s “compelling evidence”, Wada has also dropped its appeal against the decision of the Mexican football federation not to sanction five senior Mexican players who tested positive for clenbuterol at the Concacaf Gold Cup in June.

The news is expected to help Contador and Priestley who have been accused of using clenbuterol but have blamed contaminated meat. The ban of Priestley is due to end in February, though he remains banned from the Olympics for life under British Olympic Association rules.

Tags:  anabolic steroid, clenbuterol, doping, football World Cup

Posted in  Steroids | No Comments/Questions

Doping case against five Mexican soccer players has been dropped after FIFA determined the clenbuterol-positive test of five Mexican soccer players were caused by contaminated meat.

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) said it had dropped its appeal at the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

From USAToday.com:

FIFA gathered the evidence while working with the government of Mexico.

“The studies conducted by FIFA showed the correctness of the footballers’ claim that the positive samples were the result of meat they had ingested at a training camp ahead of the tournament,” the governing body of international soccer said.

Mexico won the Gold Cup in June despite the absence of goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa, defenders Edgar Duenas and Francisco Rodriguez, and midfielders Antonio Naelson and Christian Bermudez. It beat the United States 4-2 in the final.

“Already several arrests have been made pursuant to these laws and large amounts of clenbuterol seized. Investigations are to continue,” WADA said.

Tags:  clenbuterol, doping, soccer

Posted in  Steroids | No Comments/Questions

A traditional Chinese medicine is to be blamed for the biggest case of doping in FIFA history, according to North Korean officials.

This was said after three North Korean footballers at the women’s World Cup tested positive for banned steroids.

From Abc.net.au:

In a bizarre explanation for the failed drugs test, North Korean officials claim the steroids were accidentally taken with traditional Chinese medicines based on musk deer glands.

The officials say the remedy was used to treat players who had been struck by lightning at a training camp in June.

FIFA’s chief medical officer Jiri Dvorak says it is the first time the substance has ever been discovered.

It is the biggest case of doping at a major event that FIFA has ever dealt with and the first since Diego Maradona in 1994.

The incident brought total in the squad caught up in the scandal to five.

Tags:  Diego Maradona, doping, FIFA, Steroids

Posted in  Steroids | No Comments/Questions

Spanish civil guard have taken 14 people in for questioning around the country as part of an anti-doping operation known as “Greyhound,” according to the Spanish government.

Sports doctors, pharmacists, trainers, coaches, representatives and sportspeople were among those detained, suspected of crimes against public health, the Ministry of the Interior communicated in a statement.

From Reuters.com:

Spanish media reported that the initials MD, which the government statement said referred to a female athlete from Palencia suspected of supplying doping substances, was world steeplechase champion Marta Dominguez.

Spanish television showed images of police taking items from what they said was Dominguez’s home earlier in the day.

Reuters was unable to immediately contact either Dominguez or her representatives for comment.

Up to 15 addresses in Madrid, Las Palmas, Alicante, Segovia and Palencia were raided and police found anabolic steroids, bags of blood, hormones, EPO and laboratory equipment used for carrying out blood transfusions.

“The three people mentioned, after receiving the competition calendars for certain sports people, drew up doping plans for them, treating them occasionally with doping products such as EPO, anabolic steroids, and others, doing transfusions of blood recycled from the same sportsperson,” the civil guard said in their statement while saying that EF and two others were monitored.

Tags:  Anabolic steroids, doping, EPO, Marta Dominguez

Posted in  Steroids | No Comments/Questions

The Barcelona coach, Josep Guardiola, has been cleared by a sports anti-doping tribunal from drug charges.

Anti-doping tribunal of CONI rejected the appeal after prosecuting office of the Italian Olympic committee (CONI) reopened the case.

From Espnstar.com:

Barcelona coach Josep Guardiola has been finally cleared by a sports anti-doping tribunal from drug charges.

The case started when Guardiola was a Brescia player in the Serie A in 2001.

Guardiola was then tested positive for nandrolone, a performance-enhancing drug, in November 2001 and was suspended for four months.

He denied doping and appealed the sentence. He was then cleared in 2007 by the Italian football federation (FIGC).

The case dates back to 2001 when the coach of Barcelona team was a Brescia player in the Serie A.

Tags:  doping, Josep Guardiola, Nandrolone

Posted in  Steroids | No Comments/Questions

The French police have been able to dismantle a French doping ring that indulged in making illegal supplies of anabolic steroids to bodybuilders and other clients throughout the country, according to office of the Marseille prosecutor.

Three people in the southern French port city were held on preliminary charges for their suspected role in running the operation ring in France.

From Winnipegfreepress.com:

Prosecutors say police have dismantled a French doping ring that illegally supplied anabolic steroids to bodybuilders and other clients throughout the country.

The Marseille prosecutor’s office said Saturday three people in the southern French port city have been handed preliminary charges for their suspected role in running the ring’s French operations. Officials say they are suspected of bringing in more than €1,000 ($1,300) a day.

The preliminary charges are for trafficking hazardous substances and doping products. Two of the three have been jailed.

The French operations are believed to be part of a larger international network. The French suspects are accused of selling steroids over the Internet in France, targeting bodybuilders.

The drug supply racket was involved in the sale and distribution of steroids over the Internet in France.

Tags:  Anabolic steroids, doping, doping ring, Steroids

Posted in  Steroids | No Comments/Questions

Yanina Wickmayer, a semi-finalist at this year’s US Open, has been handed over a ban of one year from tennis after she failed to comply with doping regulations

Belgian Xavier Malisse, her fellow, has also been handed over suspension for a year but for a different doping offence.

From Guardian.co.uk:

The Flemish Doping Tribunal (VDT) said Wickmayer had failed to declare her whereabouts on three occasions, a requirement under World Anti-Doping Agency rules, while Malisse had failed to do so twice and had also missed a test when he was unavailable for testing at an address he had provided.

The bans take immediate effect, meaning world No18 Wickmayer must pull out of this week’s Commonwealth Bank Tournament of Champions in Bali, while Malisse has withdrawn from the AXA Masters in Antwerp. Wickmayer, 20, has however announced her intention to appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

Responding to the news of Wickmayer’s ban, a WTA spokesman said: “Yanina Wickmayer has been informed of the decision of the Belgian national anti-doping agency and consequently has voluntarily withdrawn from the tournament.

“While the tournament regrets all withdrawals, we support the WADA Code and are committed to following the decisions rendered by national anti-doping agencies.”

The International Tennis Federation (ITF) and WADA are yet to receive a communication about the suspension in writing from the Belgian anti-doping agency.

Tags:  doping, Xavier Malisse, Yanina Wickmayer

Posted in  Steroids | No Comments/Questions

China should make it a criminal offence to offer banned performance-enhancing substances to athletes and jail those found guilty, according to a leading sports ministry official.

After fearing embarrassment at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, the Chinese sports ministry cracked down on the use of drugs.

From in.reuters.com:

Most positive tests in recent years have been at provincial level or below, including the unearthing of 450 doses of EPO, testosterone and steroids during a raid on a Liaoning athletics school’s training camp in 2006.

Jiang Zhixue, director of the science and education department at the sports ministry, said there was insufficient deterrent for coaches and officials who administer drugs to athletes.

“We are confined to punishing them technically, giving them bans or fines but nothing more,” Jiang was quoted as saying by Xinhua news agency.

“The (current) regulations have certain connection with the criminal law but the criminal law doesn’t have specific terms regarding this area.”

However, if it was made a criminal offence one of the punishments could be imprisonment.

Jiang said the Chinese Anti-Doping Agency had conducted 14,042 tests in 2009 — 13,336 urine tests and 706 blood tests, more than 6,000 of which were random — and 25 gave positive results.

It is worth noting here that athletes from China were at the center of a string of doping scandals in the 1990s and early years of this century.

Tags:  Beijing Olympics, doping, EPO, Steroids, testosterone

Posted in  Steroids | No Comments/Questions

The Major League Baseball and the National Hockey League have instigated investigations into doping claims. This was after it was learned that a Florida couple allegedly sold illegal steroids to players from the Washington Capitals and Washington Nationals.

Richard and Sandra Thomas, the couple, were arrested by the police in Polk County, Florida for possession of illegal drugs worth US dollars 200,000.

From Espnstar.com:

According to both the Tampa Tribune and Washington Times, Richard Thomas claimed to have sold the drugs to professional athletes in several sports, and identified both the Nationals and Capitals.

“We have no reason to believe there is any merit to this story, but the National Hockey League and the Washington Capitals take all such allegations seriously,” said Capitals president Dick Patrick in a statement.

“Capitals players have fully participated in the NHL’s random drug testing program, and at no point has a Capitals player tested positive. In addition our players have been tested at international events, such as World Championships and Olympics. We welcome and will fully cooperate with the NHL’s investigation.”

NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly added: “The Washington Capitals have no knowledge of any aspect of this allegation.

“Capitals players were subjected to no-notice testing five separate times over the past two seasons pursuant to the terms of the Collective Bargaining Agreement and there was no indication of any improper conduct or wrongdoing.”

Polk County sheriff Grady Judd said that Richard Thomas did not identify any individual players when making his claim.

Tags:  doping, Major League Baseball, National Hockey League, Steroids

Posted in  Steroids | No Comments/Questions