South African Olympian Roland Schoeman was given a one-year doping ban by FINA Wednesday, but the sanction is retroactive to last May, leaving the sprinter eligible for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Schoeman’s violation is dated to May 18, 2019 and will expire May 17. Schoeman tested positive for GW501516, a drug that is illegal and not commercially produced after testing in the mid-2000s deemed it a cancer risk. The World Anti-Doping Agency issued a memo in 2013 as to its danger as a “black market substance.”
The decision by FINA was made at a meeting Jan. 24. The news was first reported by the Associated Press Wednesday.
Schoeman won three medals at the 2004 Athens Olympics, including gold in the 400 free relay. He claimed silver in the 100 free and bronze in the 50 free. He also represented South Africa at the 2000, 2008 and 2012 Olympics games, but missed qualification for Rio in 2016. Schoeman also won three gold and five total World Championships medals. He’s held eight individual world records (two long-course, six short-course) plus the world relay mark from Athens.
At 39, he was training for a run at the Tokyo Games, and the length of the ban makes that still a possibility. He’s been training at Phoenix Swim Club in Arizona.
Anything for the win reaches a new low. How empty does someone need to be to go to this level of self risk in cheating? Did his coach have any knowledge of this drug use?
Here is some info on the drug from researchers that abandoned the drug citing it’s cancer causing risks to human organs are far to high to ever be considered to have benefit
“Is Cardarine Legal?
Cardarine is not legal, nor is it approved for use in humans.
As its side effects have been downplayed across the internet and various forums, cardarine has gained popularity for bodybuilding and performance enhancement in athletes. With a rise in popularity, cardarine/GW501516/Endurobol is now widely available on the black market and as a research substance.
The World Anti-Doping Agency issued a rare warning about its toxicity to athletes. The agency took an additional step to warn “cheats” that this substance can be quite dangerous, raising awareness about its health risks.
Cardarine is not considered safe in any quantity.”