Long post alert. :lol: I thought some of you may be interested in this press release on Nandrolone.
March 10, 2004
ATP Expands its Efforts to Determine Cause of Low-Level Nandrolone in Test Results
Ø Hemmersbach, Ellicott to join on-going investigation
Ø Rusedski ruling underscores problem of contamination from supplements
Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, USA -- The ATP, governing body of the men’s professional tennis circuit, announced today an expansion of its efforts, first announced in July 2003, to identify the cause of the low levels of nandrolone or its precursors in anti-doping test samples. Two new experts have agreed to join the ATP investigation to determine the cause of low-level nandrolone in test results, and the ATP also will ask the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) to name a third member of the group.
The ATP appointed Dr. Peter Hemmersbach, who heads the doping analysis section at the Hormone Lab of the Aker University Hospital in Norway, and the Hon. Robert J. Ellicott, former Australian Solicitor General and Attorney General, to its investigation. The appointees will use scientific experts and investigators that they deem necessary to identify the cause, or causes, of low-level nandrolone readings in tennis players.
As Greg Rusedski announced earlier today, a Tennis Anti-Doping Program tribunal exonerated him of a doping offense. Rusedski was the eighth ATP player who had tested positive in cases involving metabolites of the prohibited substance nandrolone or its precursors dating back to August 2002. Tennis Anti-Doping Program tribunals dismissed seven previous positive cases in the summer of 2003 after they determined that the ATP was estopped from enforcing its anti-doping rules due to the ATP’s practice, halted in May 2003, of distributing nutritional supplements to players. Yesterday, an eighth Tennis Anti-Doping Tribunal rendered a similar judgement, dismissing the charges against Rusedski using the legal principle of estoppel.
“The Tribunal ruling underscores the problem of nandrolone contamination that we identified last year and still face today,” said Mark Miles, ATP Chief Executive Officer. “To date, the investigation has included interviews with more than 100 individuals, including players, officials and experts, along with thorough examination and analysis of all available data. Given that low-level trace occurrences appear to be continuing, we felt it important to re-double our efforts to identify the cause of these test results.
“We’re pleased that Dr. Hemmersbach and the Honorable Robert Ellicott have joined this effort, and we’re determined to provide them with all necessary resources to accomplish the goal of identifying the cause of the problem that was essentially non-existent prior to the summer of 2002.”
As the ATP announced on July 9, 2003, in addition to the seven players who had tested positive, a number of other player samples showed low-level trace readings of nandrolone or its precursors at levels so low that they were defined by the laboratories as not being doping offenses. The July 2003 report determined that the samples were “consistent with the oral administration of contaminated nutritional supplements” and “a player’s performance would not have been enhanced in any way by trace 19-norsteroid contamination of a supplement.” (For a full transcript of the ATP report, go to
www.atptennis.com/en/antidoping.)
However, recent testing from several 2004 tournaments indicates that the occurrence of low levels of nandrolone and its precursors in anti-doping test samples continue. There have been no new nandrolone
positive samples since Rusedski’s case. But 16 low-level trace readings of nandrolone or its precursors, which are not doping violations, have been identified in 2004 tests.
Dr. Peter Hemmersbach, who heads the doping analysis section at the Hormone Lab of the Aker University Hospital in Norway, also is a member of the Games Group, an international specialist committee under the IOC umbrella responsible for the quality control of doping analysis during the Olympic Games. He serves as a professor in pharmaceuticals and doping analysis at the Pharmaceutical Institute of the University of Oslo.
The Hon. Robert Ellicott, former Australian Solicitor General and Attorney General, is a member of the International Amateur Athletic Federation (IAAF) Panel of arbitrators. Ellicott is a former judge at the Federal Court who was a member of the CAS ad hoc divisions at the 2002 Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City, the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney and the 1998 Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur.
“As was the situation with the seven previous low-level nandrolone doping cases last summer, it is our responsibility to process each and every doping case,” said Miles. “The Rusedski tribunal concluded that he should have received personal notification of the risk of taking an electrolyte supplement previously distributed by ATP trainers, and that the ATP notices posted in the player newsletters, player intranet website and locker rooms were not adequate. We respect the authority and independence of the tribunal and are satisfied that the process was conducted fairly.”
About the Tennis Anti-Doping Program
The Tennis Anti-Doping Program is a comprehensive and internationally recognized drug-testing program that applies to all players competing at tournaments sanctioned by the ATP, WTA Tour and ITF. Players are tested for substances banned by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) list. In 2003, 1,382 tests were conducted on 357 different men’s professional tennis players. A top ten male player was tested an average of 13.9 times during the year, while a player in the top 50 was tested an average of 9.7 times. More background on the Tennis Anti-Doping Program, program penalties, statistics and testing procedure information can be found at
www.atptennis.com/en/antidoping/.
