Canadian swimmer William Brothers has been suspended by FINA for 4 years, dating back to August 26th, 2015, after the organization attempted unsuccessfully to apply an out-of-competition doping test.
In 2006, Brothers set Alberta Age Group Records in the 800 and 1500 freestyle and was named the Alberta Age Group Swimmer of the Year in 2006 and 2007. In 2009, at just 15, he was named the Canadian Youth Swimmer of the Year.
Brothers was a member of the Canadian National Junior Team between 2010 and 2012, including a 6th-place finish at the 2011 Junior World Championships and a bronze medal at the 2012 Junior Pan Pacs Championships. In 2013 and 2014, Brothers became a member of the Canadian Senior National Team and raced at both the 2013 World University Games, the 2013 World Championships, the 2013 Commonwealth Games, and the 2014 Pan Pac Championships.
On the date of his suspension, two doping control officers showed up at Brothers’ house in Vancouver at 10PM to obtain a blood sample for doping control.
After initially being cooperative, Brothers took a phone call from his father and informed the testers that he would not submit to the blood test for health reasons. Brothers said that those health reasons caused him to step away from the sport over the last month. For privacy reasons, FINA did not reveal the nature of the health issue.
In a letter to FINA after the refusal to test, Brothers told the global governing body for aquatics sports that he had in fact retired but had not submitted the relevant documentation before the collectors arrived.
After much back-and-forth between Brothers’ attorney and FINA, a hearing was held via video conference, where Brothers argued that he was caught off-guard by the doping test at 10pm (which was within appropriate time by FINA rules to call upon him, but was while he was preparing for bed). Brothers claimed that the late timing, combined with his prior decision to retire and the recent death of his coach Randy Bennett, left him “incapacitated…to the point of being unable to make a clear and rational decision.”
Much information about the exact nature of his medical condition was redacted.
Brothers also says that the nature of his medical condition should be taken into account by the FINA doping panel.
According to FINA’s report, Brothers and his attorney made the following argument:
The Athlete stated that he did not have the requisite intention to evade, refuse or fail to submit to a sample collection as he did not have the mental capacity to make a rational decision in that state. His actions were consistent with involuntary behavior and aligned with his prior medical diagnosis and are compelling justification for refusing or failing to submit to sample collection, hence there was no violation of the anti-doping rules, and no sanction is to be imposed on him.
After hearing the evidence, FINA’s panel stated that “the FINA Doping Panel cannot conclude that Mr. Brothers actually was suffering” from the unnamed condition “at the time the testing was to be carried out.”
FINA said that the notion that his father, who is also a medical doctor, was able to diagnose via a phone call that Brothers was at the time of attempted sample collection suffering from the condition was not sufficient evidence.
FINA did take into consideration that Brothers was instructed by his father to not take take the test and deal with the consequences afterward.
The above all resulted in FINA applying the maximum 4 year suspension for a first offence.
Here you go again, arm chair judges condemning a fellow swimmer without a clue as to what really happened or why. I know what happened to Will and Alec, and neither are cheaters, they both just had a horrible thing happen to them that had nothing to do with trying to enhance their performance in any way, shape or form. WADA has black and white rules, and if you happen to have the misfortune to be in a situation that appears to them to be in violation of their rules , well you are screwed. I know for a fact that Will never tried to hide anything, or didn’t have any reason to try to hide anything, he was sick… Read more »
The Commonwealth Games were in 2014 not 2013
I like the punishment in this case. We complain about wanting a clean sport so this is the result. Its obvious that the rules are still not being consistently applied and that is the real issue. I also want to throw out there that we need to dig a little deeper as to who is supplying and coaching the athletes to use illegal substances. In this case his its sounds like the dad is guilty
Very shady things being done at Island Swimming, first Alec Page, now Will.
Will hasn’t been at island for a year and a half, he transferred to UBC at the beginning of 2015…
Yet the test was taken in 2015, so he was likely doping while at Island Swimming prior to leaving.
He got four years for not taking a test!? Jesus. Seems like they’re just sending a message – submit, or else!
It is pretty ridiculous that ya gotta pretty much give these agencies your whereabouts at all times. I see where the impulse comes from to mandate it, but jeez.
Lucky no athletes were on MH370 or they’d be in big trouble with WADA .
If there was a know medical issue, then were is all the medical to support it? Something had to be in his system in order to refuse. If you were retired then why was the paperwork submitted. Whats to hide?
I have no idea about the details here, but consider this scenario…there are drugs for legitimate medical conditions that are prescribed by a doctor that could contain elements of banned substances. In 1976 DeMont got popped for his athsma medication because a doctor neglected to put it on a disclosure sheet. What if this kid was ill and under medication? What if his prescribing doctor or he didn’t report his medication for an illness more prompt than a 10pm knock on the door?
I know I am furnishing speculative scenarios, but these scenarios are possible. I don’t consider a no test the same as a negative test. I also understand that isn’t a popular point. On the scale of… Read more »
Never heard of him. We want to know about the top guys -not minnows.
The top guys are the ones you read about who get a shortened sentence that allows them to swim in the next major international competition (e.g. Sun, Park, Efimova). The minnows are the ones who get the maximum penalty, so that FINA can pretend to be doing their job. Also, the minnows lack the financial means and the support of their federations that are necessary to grease the “wheels of justice.”
Isn’t that the whole point? Come down hard on the retired guy so you can be seen to enforce the rules. That leaves latitude to give slaps on the wrist to those who “compete” on the world stage.
That is now 2 former swimmers that swam with the Victoria National Centre that have had troubles with doping
Yes the 1st was caught with cannabis in his system. Not really a doping violation, there is no performance enhancing there
Incorrect, Alec Page was caught with a masking agent. At least he had the fortitude to take the doping test though.