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4mo ago

Anti-Doping Experts Urge Athletes to Avoid Casual Encounters Over Drug Contamination Risks

At a London conference, calls intensify for WADA to reform rules on unintentional doping caused by intimacy, as USADA highlights unresolved Chinese swimmer cases.

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It was accepted that Gasquet’s positive test for a metabolite of cocaine was ‘probably’ caused by kissing a woman in a nightclub
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Overview

  • Anti-doping authorities have warned athletes to avoid casual sexual encounters due to the risk of inadvertent doping from intimacy-transmitted substances.
  • Current WADA rules place strict liability on athletes, requiring them to prove contamination sources, which is often challenging without witness testimony.
  • USADA and experts are advocating for rule changes to classify low-level, intimacy-based findings as atypical rather than adverse analytical findings.
  • USADA chief Travis Tygart criticized WADA's handling of Chinese swimmers' positive tests for trimetazidine, which may have impacted 96 Olympic medals across Tokyo 2021 and Paris 2024.
  • Proposed reforms include raising minimum reporting thresholds for substances known to be transferable through intimacy, aiming to reduce false positives and protect athletes.