Two Indonesian Swimmers Suspended for Methylhexaneamine Tests at Same Meet

A pair of Indonesian swimmers have been suspended for two years, and have results and prize money forfeited since their positive tests. Both swimmers tested positive for the banned substance methylhexaneamine in early July at the 2013 Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games, and both suspensions were handed out by the FINA disciplinary panel.

The first suspension was levied upon Indonesia’s Indra Gunawan, who tested positive after the 50 meter breaststroke final on July 1st in which he won the title in 27.29.

This suspension will also result in the disqualification of Indonesia’s July 3rd 400 medley relay of which Gunawan was a part.

According to the official decision, Gunawan defense was that he tried his roommate’s “Jack 3D,” which is a supplement sold legally, and the roommate said it was a safe substance. Gunawan’s defense claimed that the older version of “Jack 3D,” which contains the substance, was what he took, not knowing that this older version would result in a positive test.

While FINA stripped only his medals from that July 1st date forward, the Olympic Council of Asia said in an earlier statement that all of his results from the meet would be stripped. The breaststroke swim was his only medal.

The other positive test, at the same meet, went to Putera Guntur Pratama for the same substance. Pratama was a part of the silver medal winning 200 free relay, and tested positive on the same day as his medal-winning race: July 2nd.

His file was significantly thinner, and included that the athlete declined any written defense or presence at his hearing. Both swimmers declined to have their B samples tested. We were unable to verify if Pratama was the roommate from whom Gunawan received the supplement or not, though they were the only two Indonesians reported by the Olympic Council of Asia to have tested positive at the multi-sport event.

What these rulings imply, in tandem, with one swimmer offering the ‘tainted supplement’ defense and the other offering no defense, is that FINA’s disciplinary board does believes firmly the rules that athletes are responsible for the supplements that they take.

Both swimmers would have the opportunity to appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, which has generally given more credence to mitigating circumstances than has FINA.