London — British sprinter CJ Ujah has been banned for 22 months for a doping case which led to Britain being stripped of Olympic relay medals but he can compete again next year, the Athletics Integrity Unit said on Monday.
Britain was stripped of its Tokyo Olympics men's 4x100m silver medal after Ujah tested positive for the banned substances Ostarine and S-23.
However, the AIU and the World Anti-Doping Agency ruled that the 28-year-old's anti-doping rule violation was not intentional and was instead a result of his ingestion of a contaminated supplement.
As a result, his ban is shorter than for a deliberate doping offence.
It is backdated to the date of his failed test, August 6, 2021, and will end on June 5, 2023, meaning he could seek a place in the British team for the World Championships in Budapest which take place in August.
Ujah responded to the ban by blaming a failed drugs test on a "convenient" supplement he bought for £10 from the Amazon website.
"Obviously, I made a mistake. But people make mistakes. I am not a cheat," Ujah told The Guardian.
"I think complacency set in. During the pandemic I relied a lot on Amazon, rather than using the people and resources around me.
"It was just convenient, with next-day delivery. And I didn't think anything was wrong with it."
However, AIU Head Brett Clothier said Ujah's case showed that athletes had to take responsibility for the substances they took.
"In this case, after a thorough examination of the facts, we were satisfied that Mr Ujah did indeed ingest a contaminated supplement, but he was unable to demonstrate that he was entitled to any reduction in the applicable period of ineligibility based on his level of fault," Clothier said.
"Taking supplements is risky for athletes as they can be contaminated or even adulterated with prohibited substances.
"Athletes owe it to their fellow competitors to be 100 percent certain before putting anything into their body. If there’s the slightest doubt, leave it out."
AFP