Great Britain could be disqualified from the men’s 4 × 100m relay final and lose their medal behind Italy and ahead of Canada. Prohibited substances were detected in the second sample of British sprinter Chinjindu “CJ” Ujah, silver medalist in the 4 × 100m at the Tokyo Olympics, said Tuesday (September 14th) the International Doping Control Agency (ITA ).
“The ITA confirms that at the athlete’s request, the B sample was analyzed by the laboratory accredited by the World Anti-Doping Agency in Tokyo on August 19 and that this procedure confirmed the result obtained on the sample TO “, writes the agency in its press release. On August 12, Ujah was suspended by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) after the discovery in his body of “Prohibited substances ostarine and S-23, which are classified as SARMs (Selective Androgen Receptor Modulators)”, substances generally used to increase muscle mass.
The anti-doping rules of the International Olympic Committee and the International Athletics Federation (World Athletics) provide for the automatic disqualification of any relay team if one of its members is convicted of violating said rules.
“I love my sport”
The ITA said it had transmitted the file to the anti-doping chamber (CAD) of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) on September 8. “CAD TAS will investigate the case of the discovery of an anti-doping rule violation and possible disqualification of the men’s 4-man team × British 100m “, continued the ITA. “Once the case has been dealt with in accordance with IOC anti-doping rules, it will be referred to the Athletics Integrity Unit to decide on possible sanctions beyond the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games”, further specifies the Agency in its press release.
For his part, the athlete vehemently denied these accusations, saying to himself “Shocked and devastated” by the ad. “To be completely clear, I am not a cheater and I have never taken or will never take any prohibited substances on purpose”, he had assured. “I love my sport and I know the responsibilities I assume both as an athlete and as a team member”, he added.