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world No18 Wickmayer must pull out of this week’s Commonwealth Bank Tournament of Champions in Bali, while Malisse has withdrawn from the AXA Masters in Antwerp.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Wickmayer has been informed of the decision of the Belgian national anti-doping agency and consequently has voluntarily withdrawn from the tournament.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

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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

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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

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Brian McNamee, the former trainer of Roger Clemens, may have proved to be the star witness in the perjury case but Andy Pettitte, the Yankees hero, is all set to lead the supporting cast.

Pettitte is expected to step off the mound and onto the witness stand for testifying against his pitching mentor.

From NYdailynews.com:

Pettitte has already both bolstered McNamee’s credibility and directly contradicted some of the allegedly misleading statements by Clemens that are listed in the six-count indictment issued Thursday against the Rocket. In 2008, Pettitte testified that he used human growth hormone provided by McNamee to expedite his recovery from a 2004 elbow injury, and that he discussed HGH with Clemens in 1999 and 2005.

“Mac told the truth about me,” Pettitte said upon arriving at spring training in 2008, having seemingly survived the congressional probe into baseball’s doping subculture.

Clemens is expected to plead not guilty and this will mean that Pettitte will be all set again to become a key witness in the perjury case against Clemens.

Tags:  Andy Pettitte, Brian McNamee, doping, HGH, human growth hormone, Roger Clemens, Yankees

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The governing world body of athletics will not be investigating claims and confessions of sabotage and cover-ups disclosed in autobiography of Ben Johnson since the body is not obliged to take any action under its own statue of limitations.

The disgraced Seoul Olympics 100m champion, Johnson, claimed that his drink was spiked with Stanozolol, the banned steroid, just before he was about to leave for a urine test after his Olympic win.

From Dailytelegraph.com.au:

Johnson exclusively told The Daily Telegraph that he had obtained a taped confession from the “mystery man” who drank beer with him in the restricted zone in the Olympic doping control area while Johnson waited to provide a urine sample for drug testers after setting another world record in Seoul.

That man is allegedly former US footballer and now diamond dealer Andre Jackson - a “family friend” of American runner-up Carl Lewis who directly benefited from the Canadian’s disqualification.

Johnson alleges Jackson confessed to him and business associate Di-anne Hudson, a Toronto lawyer, that Jackson spiked Johnson’s drinks with the steroid Stanozolol - and not for the first time. There is no suggestion Lewis ever knew of the plan.

Johnson claims there was enough Stanozolol in his sample “to kill a cow” but he denies using that drug. He does, however, admit to having used an obscure East German designer steroid called Furazobol up until six weeks before the Games.

It is worth noting here that the International Association of Athletics Federations has a self-imposed statute of limitations for eight years in doping cases and this doping incident cannot be investigated as Seoul games ended 21 years ago.

Tags:  Ben Johnson, designer steroid, doping, Furazobol, Olympic doping, Stanozolol, steroid

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The first drug scandal of the Paralympics rocked the Beijing Olympics but things soon start going the right way as “Blade Runner” Oscar Pistorius created headlines with a thrilling 100m track win.

Pistorius crossed the line in 11.17sec at the Bird’s Nest National Stadium on a wet night, an event that was also highlighted by Marlon Shirley failing to materialize by collapsing two-thirds into the race.

From Foxsports.com.au:

Earlier a shadow was cast over the Games when it was revealed that Pakistani power lifter Naveed Ahmed Butt, 37, had been given a two-year ban for steroid use.

In the first drugs scandal of the Paralympics, he tested positive for the steroid methandienone metabolites on September 4, two days before the opening ceremony, the International Paralympic Committee said.

“In accordance with the IPC anti-doping code, and after a hearing of the IPC anti-doping committee, the IPC ratified the decision to disqualify Butt,” the committee said in a statement.

A total of 356 tests have been carried out at the Games, both in and out of competition, according to IPC figures until the end of Monday.

At the Athens Games in 2004, 680 doping tests were conducted, resulting in 10 anti-doping rule violations, according to the IPC.

In other news Heath Francis pulled off Australia’s first gold medal in the 200m sprint, winning in world record time in his T46 class.

The one-armed runner finished well clear of the field in a time of 21.74sec over Cyprus silver medallist Antonis Aresti and Cuba’s Ettiam Calderon in third.

Naveed Ahmed Butt, power lifter from Pakistan, was rendered disqualified by the International Paralympic Committee in accordance with the IPC anti-doping code and a hearing of the IPC anti-doping committee.

Tags:  Beijing Olympics, doping, drug scandal, methandienone, Oscar Pistorius, steroid, Steroid use

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