The Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) acknowledges the decision made by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) Ad Hoc Division to uphold its application, together with that lodged by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), to reinstate the provisional suspension of Swiss athlete Alex Wilson with immediate effect.
This means the athlete will no longer be eligible to compete at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.
Alex Wilson runs stunning 9.84, 19.89 in Georgia
Brett Clothier, Head of the AIU said: “The AIU has the responsibility for overseeing all national-level cases alongside the cases in its direct jurisdiction. We were not satisfied with the national-level decision to lift the mandatory provisional suspension on the athlete and so together with WADA we appealed the decision. Today’s ruling by the CAS Ad Hoc division is the right outcome and demonstrates a proper application of the rules. This case reflects the AIU’s commitment to protecting the interests of clean athletes and ensuring a level-playing field in Tokyo.”
An out-of-competition sample collected from Wilson on 15 March 2021 revealed the presence of a metabolite of an anabolic steroid – trenbolone, a substance prohibited at all times – and a mandatory provisional suspension was imposed on him by Anti-Doping Switzerland.
The athlete alleged that the presence of the prohibited substance was caused due to the consumption of contaminated beef he ate in a Jamaican restaurant in the USA, and challenged the suspension at the Disciplinary Chamber of Swiss Olympic which rendered a final decision on 02 July and lifted the provisional suspension on the athlete.
The AIU, on behalf of World Athletics, and WADA both filed an application against the Disciplinary Chamber’s decision with the CAS Ad Hoc Division in Tokyo requesting that the provisional suspension be reinstated. The case will now be remitted to the Disciplinary Chamber for a hearing on the merits in due course.
