Thiago Braz, a pole vaulter from Brazil who won an Olympic gold medal, will miss the next Olympic Games in Paris due to a 16-month doping suspension.
After an in-competition test last year, Braz, who won gold in front of home fans at the 2016 Rio Olympics, tested positive for ostarine glucuronide, according to a report released by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU), an independent organization that fights doping. Ostarine is classified as an anabolic agent and is used to improve muscle growth and sports performance.
Braz then claimed that he took ostarine through a supplement that a sports nutritionist had given him in order to enhance his health rather than intentionally consuming it.
The suspension expires on November 27, 2024, but Braz has filed an appeal with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in the hopes of playing at the Olympics this year.
The ban having a positive outcome
The 16-month ban was seen with a very positive result by a Braz representative, particularly in regards to the AIU’s argument about the four-year suspension. The spokesperson admitted: “Based on the understanding that the 16 months are still disproportionate to the very low level of responsibility attributable to the athlete, Thiago’s defense has filed an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Switzerland… and is confident in either overturning the sanction or further reducing the period of imposed ineligibility.”
A disciplinary tribunal noted that Braz, who was provisionally suspended on July 28 last year, had been informed of the great risks that the supplements he took would be contaminated with prohibited substances, but nevertheless he ignored it. The majority of the panel concluded that the athlete behaved “with No Significant Fault or Negligence”, and advised to be more cautious in trusting his medical team.
The AIU declared that it will consider appealing the 16-month ban.
Source: CNN