Russian athlete suspended for four years for anti-doping violation

The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) has announced that Russian athlete Aleksei Lesnykh has been suspended for four years for an Anti-Doping Rule violation.

Lesnykh returned an adverse analytical finding for two substances - Ostarine and LGD-4033 - in a urine sample provided on 18 March 2016 after he had competed in the men’s shot put F37 at the IPC Athletics Grand Prix in Dubai, UAE.

These substances are included on the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) 2016 Prohibited List under the category S1.2: Other Anabolic Agents and are listed as selective androgen receptor modulators (SARMs). These substances are prohibited both in and out of competition.

The athlete waived his right to a hearing and accepted all consequences. As a result of his violation, Lesnykh will be ineligible from competition for four years from 14 April 2016, the date he was notified, until 13 April 2020.

All Lesnykh’s results obtained from the date of the test and onwards will be disqualified including forfeiture of any medals, points, records and prizes.

The principle of strict liability applies to anti-doping matters. Therefore, 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.