The CBDA, the governing body for aquatics sports in Brazil, has announced a two-year doping suspension for Evandro Vinicius dos Santos Silva after an adverse finding in a doping sample at the Jose Finkel Trophy.
Specifically, according to the CBDA’s Doping Control Panel, Silva tested positive for Methyltestosterone and Chlorthalidone on September 3rd, 2014, and imposed a period of ineligibility of two years dating to October 14th, 2014. That would make Silva ineligible to compete at Brazil’s home Olympics.
The Jose Finkel Trophy is Brazil’s Short Course National Championship meet and was the selection meet for the 2012 World Short Course Championships team. At that meet, dos Santos took 3rd in the 400 IM in 3:11.04, missing the required qualifying mark by two-and-a-half seconds.
This is the first announced doping suspension for Brazil since November, 2013 when a Brazilian youth swimmer tested positive for Methylhexaneamine at the country’s Junior and Youth Championship meet: the Mauricio Bekenn Trophy. In all of 2013, FINA reports only two doping tests for all of Brazilian aquatic sports, as compared to seven in 2012 and five in 2011, showing numbers that, at least, are trending in the right direction.
Methyltestosterone is used commercially to treat men with a testosterone deficiency. Chlorthalidone is used to treat high blood pressure and fluid retention, and as a diuretic can be used as a masking agent for other substances.
Silva spent a brief time in the 2012-2013 season in the United States training with the University of Incarnate Word in San Antonio. He joined that team at the semester and 7 All-American honors in the NCAA’s Division II (6 First-Team, 1 Honorable Mention). He would remain with the team for one more season in 2013-2014, where UIW didn’t have an NCAA Championship meet to race at while transitioning from Division II to Division I, but in that one season he set a CCSA conference record in the 200 yard free (1:35.77) and was named co-Most Outstanding Swimmer of the Meet. Silva is not listed on the team’s roster for this season.
The CBDA reports that while Silva’s attorney requested until October 28th to enter a defense, the committee received that defense and it had no impact on their decision.