Cyclist charged with trafficking

Quoted post said:

Cyclist charged with trafficking
July 12, 2004

FORMER world champion cyclist Sean Eadie faces a ban of at least two years after being charged today by the Australian Olympic Committee with "trafficking" banned substances.

Eadie faces a two-year ban if guilty.

The AOC and Cycling Australia issued Eadie a joint infraction notice, finding him in breach of the anti-doping policies of both organisations.

The alleged breach relates to a package of 16 tablets containing anterior pituitary peptides, which was mailed to 34-year-old Eadie in January 1999. Customs officers intercepted the package.

Anterior pituitary peptides are a prohibited substance under the anti-doping policies of CA and the AOC.

"Documents provided to us show that on or about 13 January 1999, Australian Customs seized a quantity of 16 tablets of anterior pituitary peptides that were contained in an envelope addressed to Eadie and mailed from San Diego, California," AOC president John Coates said in the statement.

"Australian Customs advised Eadie in writing of this seizure and subsequently destroyed the goods after further written advice to Eadie on April 30, 1999."

Anterior pituitary peptides are a sub-class of peptide hormones that are prohibited substances. The class includes Human Growth Hormone and use of these peptides by athletes is not detectable under existing anti-doping testing.

"We have advised Sean Eadie that we believe he has committed the offence of 'trafficking' and thereby breached the 1999 Anti-Doping Policy of the AOC and the 1999 Anti-Doping Policy of Cycling Australia," Mr Coates said.

In its own statement, CA said Eadie had not tested positive to any banned substance.

If Eadie is found guilty of the offence, he would become ineligible for membership or selection in any Australian Olympic team for at least two years.

That could be increased according to the circumstances and culpability involved.

The sprint star would also have to repay all grants paid to him by the AOC, unless determined otherwise by the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

Eadie would also be unable to ride for any Cycling Australia team for two years.

Eadie, who has been named in the Australian cycling team for next month's Athens Olympics, has 14 days to respond to the infraction notice.

He may request the case be heard before the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

This alleged breach is unrelated to the case against junior world champion Mark French, who was banned from cycling for two years and the Olympics for life after being found guilty last month of trafficking a prohibited substance and possessing an equine growth hormone.

The latest incident came to light after Customs widened its investigation in relation to specific names raised in the CAS hearing against French.

Eadie was one of five leading Australian cyclists named by French, whom he said had injected vitamins and other legal supplements in his room at the Australian Institute of Sport cycling facility in Adelaide.

The others were Shane Kelly, Graeme Brown, Brett Lancaster and Jobie Dajka.

The AOC is withholding Dajka's Olympic nomination and said on Friday that the 2001 world keirin champion's final selection was conditional on an ongoing investigation into alleged doping violations.

AAP