USADA announced today that Jacqueline Galloway, of Dallas, Texas, an athlete in the sport of taekwondo, has accepted a six-month sanction after testing positive for a prohibited substance.
Galloway, 23, tested positive for ibutamoren as the result of an out-of‐competition urine sample she provided on February 12, 2019. Ibutamoren is a non-Specified Substance in the class of Peptide Hormones, Growth Factors, Related Substances, and Mimetics and prohibited at all times under the USADA Protocol for Olympic and Paralympic Movement Testing, the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee National Anti-Doping Policies, and the World Taekwondo Anti-Doping Rules, all of which have adopted the World Anti-Doping Code and the World Anti-Doping Agency Prohibited List.
Following notification of her positive test, Galloway provided USADA with information about dietary supplement products she was using at the time her positive sample was collected and which she declared during the sample collection session. Although no prohibited substances were listed on the supplement labels, subsequent analysis conducted by the WADA-accredited laboratory in Salt Lake City, Utah, indicated that one of the supplements the athlete provided, a multivitamin she purchased from a grocery store, contained ibutamoren. The laboratory conducted additional specialized analysis on multiple supplement tablets, enabling USADA to understand the distribution of the contamination and conclude that the product was more likely than not contaminated during the manufacturing process. The product that led to Galloway’s positive test was added to the list of high-risk supplements maintained on USADA’s online dietary supplement safety education and awareness resource – Supplement 411 (www.Supplement411.org).
The presence of an undisclosed prohibited substance in a product is regarded as contamination and the determination that an athlete’s positive test was caused by a contaminated product may result in a reduced sanction. In addition to contamination, USADA determined that Galloway qualified for a reduced period of ineligibility due to the seemingly low-risk nature of the product, her declaration of the product during sample collection, and her diligence in searching the prohibited status of the listed ingredients.
Galloway’s six-month period of ineligibility began on February 27, 2019, the date she received a provisional suspension. In addition, Galloway has been disqualified from competitive results obtained on and subsequent to February 12, 2019, the date her positive sample was collected, including forfeiture of any medals, points and prizes.
In an effort to aid athletes, as well as support team members such as parents and coaches, in understanding the rules applicable to them, USADA provides comprehensive instruction on its website on the testing process and prohibited substances, how to obtain permission to use a necessary medication, and the risks and dangers of taking supplements, as well as performance-enhancing and recreational drugs. If athletes choose to use supplements despite the known risks, USADA has always recommended that athletes use only dietary supplements that have been certified by a third-party program that tests for substances prohibited in sport. USADA currently recognizes NSF Certified for Sport® as the program best suited for athletes to reduce the risk from supplements.
In addition, USADA manages a drug reference hotline, Global Drug Reference Online (www.GlobalDRO.com), conducts educational sessions with National Governing Bodies and their athletes, and distributes a multitude of educational materials, such as an easy-reference wallet card with examples of prohibited and permitted substances, a supplement guide, a nutrition guide, an athlete handbook, and periodic alerts and advisories.
Along with education and testing, robust anti-doping programs enable investigations stemming from tips and whistleblowers. USADA makes available a number of ways to report the abuse of performance-enhancing drugs in sport in an effort to protect clean athletes and promote clean competition. Any tip can be reported using the USADA Play Clean Tip Center, by email at playclean@usada.org, by phone at 1-877-Play Clean (1-877-752-9253) or by mail.
USADA is responsible for the testing and results management process for athletes in the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Movement and is equally dedicated to preserving the integrity of sport through research initiatives and educational programs.
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