Motorcyclist receives sanction
Sport Integrity Australia acknowledges that Motorcycling Australia has imposed a five-year period of Ineligibility on athlete Jai Walker for committing several Anti-Doping Rule Violations (ADRVs).
Mr Walker returned an Adverse Analytical Finding from an In-Competition doping control test on 19 August 2023 during the 2023 Penrite ProMX Championship in Coolum, Queensland.
Mr Walker’s sample was analysed at the Australian Sports Drug Testing Laboratory, part of the National Measurement Institute, and the presence of Cocaine and its metabolite Benzoylecgonine were detected.
Subsequent investigations determined that Mr Walker was found to have also committed the following ADRVs:
- Use of Cocaine on or before 19 August 2023.
- Possession of Cocaine on 19 August 2023.
- Use and/or Attempted Use of Cocaine on 13 August 2023.
- Possession of Cocaine on 13 August 2023.
- Attempted Use of Testosterone on and/or around 9 October 2023 to on and/or around 16 October 2023.
- Trafficking and/or Attempted Trafficking of Testosterone on and/or around 16 October 2023
- Trafficking and/or Attempted Trafficking of Cocaine on and/or between 5 August 2023 to 14 October 2023.
- Trafficking and/or Attempted Trafficking of Cannabis on and/or around 12 October 2023.
The substance Testosterone is classified as Class S1.1 (Anabolic Androgenic Steroids (AAS)) substance under the World Anti-Doping Code — International Standard — Prohibited List 2023 (2023 Prohibited List). Testosterone is classified as a Non-Specified Substance and is prohibited at all times.
The substance Cocaine is listed under Class S6.A (Non-Specified Stimulants) under the 2023 Prohibited List. The substance Cocaine is a Non-Specified Substance and is prohibited In-Competition only. It is also classified as a ‘Substance of Abuse’ under the Prohibited List.
The substance Cannabis is listed under Class S8 (Cannabinoids) under the 2023 Prohibited List. The substance Cannabis is a Specified Substance and is prohibited In-Competition only. It is also classified as a ‘Substance of Abuse’ under the Prohibited List.
Motorcycling Australia has imposed a five-year period of Ineligibility on Mr Walker commencing on 13 August 2023.
Mr Walker is ineligible to participate in any sports that have adopted a World Anti-Doping Code compliant anti-doping policy until 12 August 2028. He is also not permitted to compete in a non-signatory professional league, or event organised by a non-signatory International or National level event organisation.
Additional information on the Prohibited Substances
Classified by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) as an ‘S6 Stimulants’ class of illicit drug, cocaine is an illegal substance.
Stimulants are a class of drug that accelerate the function of the central nervous system. They stimulate the sympathetic nervous system which causes an increase in body temperature, heart rate, blood pressure and affects respiratory rate. They also suppress sensations of hunger, thirst and fatigue which when combined with sharp rises in body temperature result in an increased risk of dehydration, complete exhaustion and death.
The psychoactive chemicals derived from cannabis and their synthetic counterparts, called cannabinoids, are also listed by WADA as Prohibited In-Competition under the ‘S8 Cannabinoid’ substance class. Psychoactive drugs may affect a person’s cognition, moods, perceptions, consciousness and emotions and are therefore deemed unsafe for use.
Both Cocaine and Cannabis are listed on the Prohibited Substances and Methods list under the Substances of Abuse category, as drugs which are prohibited for use ‘In-Competition’.
The Substances of Abuse category was introduced as part of the 2021 Prohibited List and 2021 World Anti-Doping Code (Code). This category was introduced in consultation with global regulatory bodies such as Sport Integrity Australia, to allow more flexibility in how athletes are sanctioned if the positive test is related to substance abuse, as opposed to an attempt to enhance performance.
Lastly, Testosterone is an S1 Anabolic Androgenic Steroid which poses many threats to an athlete’s health and some side effects may include an increase in blood pressure and cholesterol levels which can lead to heart disease. Liver disease and infertility can also result from the use of these agents.
