Yesterday, we reported that the source of Cielo’s supplement contamination had been found and confirmed to be a labaratory where his supplements are prepared. Today, however, the Portugese-language site Swim.com.br says that the lab is singing a different tune today.
They are saying that they always take very careful sanitation measures, including never using the same tray on the same day, and that the cross-contamination was not their fault. The lab, which could be facing heavy civil or criminal charges, says that the only cross-contamination would have been through the air, but that they still feel as though it was not their fault. This runs contrary to what the official CBDA release said that the lab told them during its investigation.
They are now mulling over whether or not to sue Cielo and the CBDA for the Brazilian equivalent of slander.
More new information has come out in support of Cielo’s claims, however, as Cielo’s standard, legal supplements provided to a WADA-certified lab in Brazil were confirmed to have trace amounts of furosemide that Cielo, along with Henrique Barbosa, Vinicius Waked, and Nicholas Santos tested positive for at the Maria Lenk Trophy.
The head of the pharmacy in question, that has been kept confidential, has said that she was surprised that there was supplement to be tested, as she was told that he had already used all of the supplement.
The case becomes much more convoluted at this point, and probably opens up the door for a full FINA investigation into the matter. This search will have to quickly kick into high gear, as there’s only three weeks left until swimming begins in Shanghai. The disaster scenario would be for FINA to let the Brazilians begin competition and then decide that sufficient evidence existed to give them a suspension.
(UPDATE 7/3): The CBDA has not released their documentation yet, but they’ve indicated that a statement signed by the lab splits the difference between reports of full fault and those of no-fault. The CBDA claims to have paperwork that indicates that the pharmacy in question would not blatantly accept blame, but wouldn’t rule it out either. More information as it becomes available.
CBDA should have done the proper thing: give the swimmers the ban.
Can FINA give CBDA a penalty or something?
How many more brazilian swimmers are tolerated for testing postitive before something is done?
And how could they only give warning to Vincicious Waked while he has tested TWICE!
If FINA let all this slide, this will set very very bad precedent for the sports. When something similar happens in the future in China for example, the chinese federation could just take a leaf from CBDA’s book an argue that FINA allowed it.
aswimfan,
CBDA is protecting ONLY itself, not swimmers.FINA knew it about the case before Paris Open, the swimmers, only AFTER the events, in the same Sunday.
LADETEC is a trusty lab, CBDA not a chance to be trusted!
That situation smells bad…
So it seems in effort to protect Cielo et al, CBDA created a lie and said the pharmacy confessed they prepared the supplements carelessly.
How typical.
Braden Keith,
the damage is done!
There are a lot of talk in brazilian forums about that… just think what will have happened if Phelps and Lochte have drinken a Gatorade spiked?Even you proof a no fault, the accusation is sometimes havier than the true facts.
Sad, sad days for our sport.
I find this to be an interesting line in the story – and where this episode may turn: “The head of the pharmacy in question, that has been kept confidential, has said that she was surprised that there was supplement to be tested, as she was told that he had already used all of the supplement.”
How’s this for conspiracy theories – there are some who have speculated that this whole thing (be it the tests or the way it has gone down to cause maximum damage to Cielo’s reputation) has been pupetteered by Coaracy Nunes as a result of a ton of previous disagreements between the two.
There’s no evidence of that so far, but wouldn’t that be a heck of a thing if true?
Just remembering something for all the guys:
FINA will do a strong analisys in QUANTITY of substance found in caffeine pills and urine of swimmers.IF is really true pH are unaltered, that take down steroids covering in first step(The core problem).(high ban penalty)
The second step, is about diuretic effect.(low to mid ban penalty)
Right now, they(FINA) already know quantities, and all stuff in this case.
I can’t believe FINA will let this slide…it is way too sketchy! They have to be more consistent. They say they were lenient because it was their first time. It was Hardy’s first positive and she had to miss an Olympics, sit out a year and the Brazilians got a slap on the wrist. VERY SUSPECT!
As to what FINA “should” do, that’s a matter of opinion. In terms of why there’s a different standard (based on the rules), here’s the clarification from a rules perspective: what Hardy took was a different class of banned substance. It was a performance-enhancer, whereas what the Brazilians took acts to mask other banned substances, but does not itself give them any competitive advantage. If you presume the same level of innocence (accidental contamination as they’ve both claimed and that FINA seems to have a pretty low threshold of proof for, historically) then that is why there are different mandatory suspensions.
Not an opinion, just explaining WADA’s rationale behind the discrepencies.
Seems like Hardy had to withdraw from olympics and serve time, that should
be the least thatvthey should do regardless of culpability.