USADA announced today that an independent arbitrator with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has rendered a decision in the case of table tennis athlete Kanak Jha, of Milpitas, Calif. and has determined that Jha violated his provisional suspension.
On December 1, 2022, USADA provisionally suspended Jha, 22, for committing an anti-doping rule violation by accruing three Whereabouts Failures within a 12-month period. Despite being provisionally suspended, Jha participated in an activity organized by a member organization of USA Table Tennis on December 14, 2022, which is against the rules for athletes who are provisionally suspended.
USADA first learned of Jha’s participation in the prohibited activity several weeks after an arbitrator issued a decision imposing a 12-month sanction for Jha’s whereabouts violation. The announcement of Jha’s whereabouts violation is available here. Because he violated his provisional suspension, USADA determined that Jha could not receive credit for the time he spent provisionally suspended.
Jha appealed USADA’s decision regarding his violation of the provisional suspension to CAS, where both Jha and USADA were provided a full opportunity to present their cases and witnesses to an independent arbitrator. The CAS arbitrator confirmed that athletes are responsible for ensuring that any activities in which they choose to participate do not violate their provisional suspension, and the arbitrator upheld USADA’s determination that Jha violated his provisional suspension. The arbitrator concluded that Jha could not receive credit for any of the time he spent provisionally suspended toward his 12-month sanction for his whereabouts violation. Therefore, the start date of Jha’s 12-month sanction is March 15, 2023, the date the arbitrator issued the decision imposing the sanction for the anti-doping rule violation.
This decision, as well as other arbitral decisions, can be found here.
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 file and update athlete Whereabouts, 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.
In addition, USADA manages a drug reference hotline, Global Drug Reference Online (GlobalDRO.com), conducts educational sessions with National Governing Bodies and their athletes, and distributes a multitude of educational materials, such as a supplement guide, a nutrition guide, a clean sport handbook, and periodic alerts and advisories.
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 text at 87232 (“USADA”), 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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