By Ossian Shine
LONDON, July 9 Reuters - The governing body of men’sprofessional tennis, the ATP, may have been unwittinglyfeeding its players banned performance-enhancingsubstances, it said today.
Internal controls and procedures have been immediatelytightened and strengthened after it was discovered anelectrolyte replacement product dispensed to players byATP trainers may have been contaminated with theprohibited substance nandrolone, the ATP said.
Under the new policies announced today, ATP trainerswill no longer dispense electrolyte tablets or othervitamin and mineral products to players.
Czech tennis player Bohdan Ulihrach - banned in Mayfor a nandrolone-positive test - will have his two-yearsuspension, fine of $US43,770 ($A66,773) and loss of 100world ranking points dismissed and is immediatelyeligible to play professional tournaments.
A statement issued today said the ATP learned in MayATP trainers had been dispensing an electrolytereplacement health product to players.
At the same time, International OlympicCommittee-accredited laboratories in Montreal, Lausanneand Stockholm were processing an unprecedented number ofurine samples with trace amounts of nandrolonemetabolites.
The ATP immediately withdrew the products andorganised an investigation by a recognised leadinganti-doping authority.
The investigation confirmed that despite the ATP’srepeated warnings to players about the potential risk ofcontamination of supplements, ATP trainers had beendispensing several vitamin and nutritional products.
The trainers erroneously had not considered thesetablets to be supplements or products that presented arisk for contamination as they had been used withoutincident for more than 20 years.
In the 10-year history of the Tennis Anti-DopingProgram, there had only been one positive case involvinglow levels of nandrolone metabolites.
Between late August 2002 and mid-May 2003, however,seven samples, including one supplied by Ulihrach,registered nandrolone metabolites above the IOC-mandatedcut-off limit.
Upon further examination, it was determined at least36 additional samples registered nandrolone metabolitesso low they were below the cut-off.
Unique fingerprints'' linking the cases and a highnumber of diverse players affected led the laboratory toconclude these players appeared to all have taken thesame product. Analytical results were consistent with theunintentional ingestion of a supplement containing traceamounts of nandrolone contamination. Ingesting a supplement with trace amounts ofcontamination would not have provided anyperformance-enhancing benefits, the ATP said. The independent Tennis Anti-Doping Program tribunalreconvened on July 2 to consider these new facts. The Ulihrach tribunal previously determined he hadcommitted a doping offence after his urine sample,provided on October 3, 2002 at the Moscow tournament,tested positive for metabolites of nandrolone. At his April tribunal hearing, Ulihrach denied theconsumption of any prohibited substance but was not ableto identify the source of the nandrolone. Subsequently, the ATP learned Ulihrach had taken thetablets during and just preceding the Moscow tournament. I am extremely pleased that this episode in my lifeis now behind me so I can return to doing what I love todo most: play tennis,’’ said Ulihrach.
In their ruling announced today, the Ulihrach tribunaldetermined it would be contrary to law for the ATP toenforce its anti-doping rules if it appeared ATPtrainers were the sources of the ingested substance.
The ATP could not rule out the possibility ofcontamination from an electrolyte replacement productdispensed by its trainers, therefore Ulihrach’ssuspension was immediately dismissed.