Yolande de Villiers sanctioned for anti-doping rule violation

[Skubarra]

Hey, that's my line! 

 

I think she's pretty lucky... got to ride for three years longer than she maybe should of!

 

You got another explanation for the overly lenient ban???

 

And yes, I'm going a bit on gut here too    

 

Andrew I do feel that is part of the problem, how long did she ride on the stuff, "declaring" it on the forms before SAIDS took action? Why did they not nail/warn her immediately the first time she declared it? If what she said is true I can't blame her for naively thinking that SAIDS was ok with her making a declaration on her TUE form as she was doing it for months/years(?)

[jcza]

Hey, that's my line! 

 

I think she's pretty lucky... got to ride for three years longer than she maybe should of!

 

You got another explanation for the overly lenient ban???

 

And yes, I'm going a bit on gut here too    

 

I'm tempted to ask again.....What ban? Seems like the only race she missed was Pioneer. 

 

Combination of clever/naive athletes and incompetent testing authorities the reason why we find ourselves here today? 

[Andrew Steer]

I'm tempted to ask again.....What ban? Seems like the only race she missed was Pioneer. 

 

Combination of clever/naive athletes and incompetent testing authorities the reason why we find ourselves here today? 

 

Yip, basically no racing ban... Why?

I think I know why.

 

Transparency? Maybe one day in our dreams...

Why does nobody ask SAIDS the hard questions?

Where are CSA in all this?

[Mousea]

BUT the still use different strokes for different oaks.

There is ZERO consistency in the way the hand out the bans.

[Underachiever]

I just cannot believe the incredibly bad luck these athletes have. 

 

If you have a look at the Elite testing pool for MTB in South Africa you probably have 10 ladies and 20 guys that will be winning 80% or more of the races. So for 4 years she was taking meds (if the story is to be believed) and she was totally unaware of the existence of a list of banned substances or the need for a TUE when taking these substances. 

Agree, and look at this from a different angle.

 

With such a small testing pool, why does it take 4 years for SAIDS/CSA to get a positive test result from Yolande?

 

Strengthen by the fact that she declared the use at every doping control?

[Gerry Hattrick]

Yip, basically no racing ban... Why?

I think I know why.

 

Transparency? Maybe one day in our dreams...

Why does nobody ask SAIDS the hard questions?

Where are CSA in all this?

Can somebody help explain why everybody is banging on about SAIDS when it was the UCI that handled this case? As far as I understand the process, SAIDS did the test but the actual analysis was handled by an independent lab (at UFS) and then the UCI decided what steps to take against the athlete

Edited February 15, 2016 by Gerry Hattrick

[Spinnekop]

Can somebody help explain why everybody is banging on about SAIDS when it was the UCI that handled this case? As far as I understand the process, SAIDS did the test but the actual analysis was handled by an independent lab (at UFS) and then the UCI decided what steps to take against the athlete

True

 

SAIDS does tests and analysis etc etc.

CSA / UCI then decides the punishment after a hearing with the athlete.

[JXV]

Somewhere in the process there are long delays that do not serve the cyclists whose racing and registration fees ultimately fund these organisations.

From sample collection on race day to SAIDS to UCI to CSA or whatever, substantial delays are occurring. These delays prejudice both the guilty parties and the compliant cyclists that should be earning the podiums and all that goes with that. Even if you will never step on a podium these delays even ultimately affect your seeding at your next race because the authorities are not timeously removing cyclists who should not be competing.

 

I understand that hearings are involved and that the accused have the right to respond and explain but why not suspend a cyclist's competition license as soon as an adverse result occurs so that the rest of us can compete fairly while they sort their issues out. If the investigation results in no sanction, the cyclist's license is re-instated - he/she ony loses out on a few events that occurred while the investigation was underway.

Edited February 15, 2016 by JXV

[Edition 507]

Maar wag so bietjie.....how can a PRO athlete make such a statement....even us fat and overweight laymen know the process.....

I think we need to start a service for these poor elite athletes who seem to have more athletic ability than intellectual capability and start a thread called something like "Are my drugs banned?".  And then us more astute laymen types can assist them in reading the enclosed leaflet and googling the active ingredients and matching it to banned substances. We can extend this service to SAIDS as well, who, although it was allegedly declared to them a number of times, seemed to be unable to determine whether Adco-Retic contains banned substances or not. Quite embarrassing for all parties involved.

[raptor-22]

Somewhere in the process there are long delays that do not serve the cyclists whose racing and registration fees ultimately fund these organisations.

From sample collection on race day to SAIDS to UCI to CSA or whatever, substantial delays are occurring. These delays prejudice both the guilty parties and the compliant cyclists that should be earning the podiums and all that goes with that. Even if you will never step on a podium these delays even ultimately affect your seeding at your next race because the authorities are not timeously removing cyclists who should not be competing.

I understand that hearings are involved and that the accused have the right to respond and explain but why not suspend a cyclist's competition license as soon as an adverse result occurs so that the rest of us can compete fairly while they sort their issues out. If the investigation results in no sanction, the cyclist's license is re-instated - he/she ony loses out on a few events that occurred while the investigation was underway.

Because the process also has to be fair on the sponsors of said rider who are expecting an appearance to deliver against the backing. It's a complex juggling at slowed down by bureaucracy that seems unavoidable. The obvious solution is better tests that can deliver same day results but something has to fund the research into that. Gas chromatography testing is not really portable with a truck of sorts and even so the test takes hours in set up and execution. A "litmus" type test would be brilliant but don't know of any for the compounds in question.the manufacturers could come on board and apply biomarkers to the compounds do that you test for the presence of the marker . Litmus type tests exist for these.

Edited February 16, 2016 by raptor-22

[Dicky DQ]

Snip< manufacturers could come on board and apply biomarkers to the compounds do that you test for the presence of the marker . Litmus type tests exist for these.> Snip

 

and why would manufacturers of "banned" substances want to put in markers?

[NelAndre]

and why would manufacturers of "banned" substances want to put in markers?

For the same reason that SAB sponsors the "Don't Drink and Drive Campaigns".

 

It looks good........

 

[eddy]

and why would manufacturers of "banned" substances want to put in markers?

Because all legal "banned" substances are actually valid pharmaceutical compounds that, in addition to having medicinal uses, confer an illegal benefit to athletes.

 

The problem I think is the cost and hassle of re-testing and registration of the new composition.

[JXV]

Because the process also has to be fair on the sponsors of said rider who are expecting an appearance to deliver against the backing. It's a complex juggling at slowed down by bureaucracy that seems unavoidable. The obvious solution is better tests that can deliver same day results but something has to fund the research into that. Gas chromatography testing is not really portable with a truck of sorts and even so the test takes hours in set up and execution. A "litmus" type test would be brilliant but don't know of any for the compounds in question.the manufacturers could come on board and apply biomarkers to the compounds do that you test for the presence of the marker . Litmus type tests exist for these.

None of the tests should take longer than 2 or 3 days for a result but in fairness to riders it should be done in an accredited laboratory and these are not portable or cheap. Proper chain of custody needs to be preserved for both samples and results but this should not add more than a few days.

 

I don't think we are ever likely to see on-site same-day testing for such a long and complex list of substances. Quite complicated instrumentation is required together with complex preparation and quality control procedures. You would also find that multiple lab techs are required for such a range of analyses.....rare to find all that expertise in one person.

 

The months/years of delay that we are seeing are not attributable solely to laboratory issues though.

[Shebeen]

so it looks like she's back racing (albeit trail running)

 

[raptor-22]

stalker