The Wrong Substance
The A-drug test of Natalya Sadova, winner of the world athletics competition in Hengelo, Holland, was positive, International Association of Athletics Federations IAAF notified All-Russia’s Athletics Federation on July 7. Now Sadova faces two-year disqualification.
The drug test of Sadova reveled substances banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), chief coach of Russia’s team Valery Kulichenko said. As July 8, 9 were the days-off, the investigation started only on Monday. Sadova urgently arrived in Moscow to help the Federation study the issue.
Sadova has blankly denied she intentionally used the prohibited substance. “But I admit that, in micro-portion, the ill-fated medication could have been in the amino acids or vitamins that I usually take for purposes of rehabilitation,” the famous disc thrower said. “It is no secret that the medicines sold in Russia’s drugstores are often counterfeit. And like my many compatriots, I could have fallen victim to them.”
Although shocked, Sadaova takes a practical view of the situation. “Unfortunately, I cannot prove the correctness of my words. The law is the same for everyone, no matter Olympic champion or an average sportsman. So I can only take part in the investigation and wait for the punishment, apparently, for two-year disqualification,” said the gold medalist in Women's Discus Throw at the Athens Olympic Games.
“I will take the IAAF’s decision no matter what it would be,” Sadova said, specifying she wrote to the IAAF headquarters to abandon the B-drug test.
Having won the world champ title in 2001, Sadova was deprived of the gold medal, as the caffeine was found in her drug test – the aftereffect of a cup of coffee drunk before the competition. Sadova wasn’t disqualified then and caffeine was crossed out of the banned list after that competition.
www.kommersant.com
All the Article in Russian as of July 12, 2006
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