Para athlete Caio Pereira receives four-year ban for anti-doping rule violation

The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) has banned Brazilian Para athletics athlete Caio Vinicius Da Silva Pereira for a period of four years for committing an anti-doping rule violation (ADRV).

The Brazilian returned an adverse analytical finding (AAF) for a prohibited substance in a urine sample provided on 25 August 2019 after competing at the Lima 2019 Parapan American Games in Peru.

The substance was dehydrochloromethyl-testosterone metabolite. This is included on the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) 2019 Prohibited List under the class S1.1 Anabolic Androgenic Steroids (AAS). The athlete also returned an AAF for an Out-of-Competition test conducted on 3 July 2019 for the same substance.

As a result of his violation, Da Silva Pereira will be ineligible for competition for four years from 30 August 2019 to 29 August 2023. He has also been stripped of the gold medal which he won in the men's shot put F12 competition in Lima, together with any points and prizes.

Each athlete is strictly liable for the substances found in his or her sample. An ADRV 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 (the WADC), the IPC remains committed to a doping-free sporting environment at all levels. The IPC has established the IPC Anti-Doping Code (Code) in compliance with the general principles of the WADC, including the WADC International Standards, expecting that, in the spirit of sport, it will lead the fight against doping in sport for Athletes with an impairment.