Man Gyun Yu suspended for anti-doping violation

The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) has suspended South Korean Para ice hockey player Man Gyun Yu for six months for committing an anti-doping violation.

The Sochi 2014 and PyeongChang 2018 Paralympian returned an adverse analytical finding for hydrochlorothiazide in a urine sample provided on 30 April 2019 following a match at the 2019 World Para ice Hockey Championships in Ostrava, Czech Republic.

This substance is included on the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) 2019 Prohibited List under the category S5. Diuretics and Masking Agents.

As a result of his violation, Man Gyun Yu will be ineligible for competition for six months from 30 April 2019 to 29 October 2019. All his results obtained from 30 April 2019 and onwards will be disqualified including forfeiture of any medals, points, records and prizes.  This includes the bronze medal he won at the 2019 World Championships.

The IPC would like to remind all athletes the principle of strict liability applies to anti-doping matters and that any athletes who need to take a prohibited substance for medical reasons should seek a Therapeutic Use Exemption.  

Each athlete is strictly liable for the substances found in his or her sample, and that an anti-doping rule violation occurs whenever a prohibited substance (or its metabolites or markers) is found in his or her bodily specimen, whether or not the athlete intentionally or unintentionally used a prohibited substance or was negligent or otherwise at fault.

As a signatory of the World Anti-Doping Code (WADC), the IPC remains committed to a doping-free sporting environment at all levels. The IPC, together with the International Federations and the National Paralympic Committees, established the IPC Anti-Doping Code to prevent doping in sport for Paralympic athletes, in the spirit of fair play.

The IPC Anti-Doping Code is in conformity with the general principles of the WADC.