Athletics: tested positive for a stimulant, Mouhamadou Fall pleads contamination

2024-04-10 17:10:24

French sprinter Mouhamadou Fall pleaded accidental contamination via food supplements before the sanctions committee of the French Anti-Doping Agency (AFLD) this Wednesday April 10 in Paris. Fall tested positive for heptaminol on July 28, 2023 during the French Athletics Championships, the day of his 100-meter coronation. This control raises the possibility of a two-year sanction for this banned substance, which would ruin the hopes of the sprinter, member of the 4×100 meters relay team, of participating in the Paris Olympic Games (July 26-August 11) . “One of the products used as a food supplement is contaminated with octodrine, without any mention of the presence of this substance,” explained Professor Jean-Claude Alvarez, author of the report, by videoconference. However, octodrine, found in sample B and also a banned substance, metabolizes in the body in the form of heptaminol. “These are low doses, but we have a lot of food supplements that are contaminated,” added Professor Alvarez, citing a study estimating that 25 to 30% of food supplements could be contaminated. A test on a volunteer witness made it possible to find concentrations of heptaminol equivalent to that of Mr. Fall, doses “without any pharmacological effect for the athlete”, he insisted. Antoine Marcelaud, the representative of the AFLD college which initiated the proceedings, considered that Mr. Fall should have “shown more vigilance, given his level and his experience”. Without contesting the contamination theory, he requested a 15-month suspension, instead of the two years incurred. The decision will not be known for several weeks.
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