European top-player and 2013 World Championship medallist fails drug test due to cocaine

National newspapers in print are reporting that a light-weight female top-judoka recently failed a drug test taken at the 2013 Rio World Championship due to cocaine.


"I received a letter informing me that a banned substance had been found in one of my urine samples, metabolites of cocaine," *********** told Belgian public radio station RTBF.

"The news stunned me, because I am very careful with this, and I really have a perfect lifestyle. I have never taken any substance that can improve my performance. Not intentionally anyway," she said.


This is a tragedy. Cocaine is not a common drug among jûdôka. Cocaine does have stimulating effect as it has amphetamine-like effects although biochemically its structure is far more complicated. Whatever the facts, there is room and motive to frame other athletes, and it is relatively easy to do so in jûdôka compared to many other athletes. Jûdôka often do not have star status and approaching them or getting access to them is not particularly difficult. With its wide presence of gangs, drugs are prevalent in Rio. If one was framed it will be incredibly difficult if not impossible to prove, and most case in the past where the athlete has mounted a defense based on such argument have not been successful, largely because it is typically judged that the athlete is responsible for whatever he or she ingests or consumes, even if the food or drinks were tampered with.

Cichorei Kano wrote:This is a tragedy.

indeed it is…
  

Maybe it was in a brownie she got from her sister.

The judoka at the subject of the above accusation has voluntarily submitted to a hair test. The analytical results show that the concentration of 2.3 pg/mg is approx 200 times less and too low than what would be expected in a person who has actually used cocaine. and to beA hair analysis has been performed. Such low concentrations are normally caused by environmental or accidental factors. Similarly, a person would have very low detectable levels of marihuana resulting from secondhand inhaled smoke even if never having smoked any marihuana himself/herself. The judoka has not offered a likely explanation on how she/he has accumulated the accidental cocaine. However, cocaine is sometimes combined with other drugs, such as cannabis, often rolled into a joint or blunt. Powdered cocaine is also sometimes smoked, though heat destroys much of the chemical. Some cocaine smokers may also sprinkle it on cannabis. Let's hope the judoka is able to establish and convince those judging of her/his viewpoint. At the same time, it is a strong warning to judoka (or other athletes) to be very careful as to where they hang out, what they touch, in whose company they are and what they consume, when visiting foreign countries for major contests where doping tests will be conducted.

They need to test for PEDs and leave out of coke or pot. You can tell if someone shows up on the mat high on either very easily.

Do they test for beer and booze too? If someone shows up drunk , stoned or geeked out they get ejected.

I care not what my student's do outside the Dojo (with in reason, if I found out they deal drugs to kids or are a Chester then the sword that purifies and all.) I care about how they come to the Dojo. They can be high as a kite at home, on their own time but on my mats sobriety is inforced.

I only had one issue, with a good friend of mine years ago before I was running a Dojo and he got the message, loud, clear and with pain promissed if it happend again.

It never did.

Sadly for the jûdôka, but not entirely unexpected (meaning, if it were different then the quality of the lab or test procedures would be of concern) the B-sample analysis now has been confirmed as also having been positive for cocaine.

Two points.

I have never drank alcohol nor touched non prescription drugs.

When young I was pulled over by police who had been doing there usual of watching people leaves a pub and nicking them for drink drive, correctly so.

I took the breath test and though I was under the limit it showed I had in fact got alcohol in my system. I protested in the strongest terms about this so much so that a trip back to the pub was organised and my 'friends' questioned. Some dick head had put some sort of alcoholic beverage in my soft drink. Thank God only on one occasion. This was very dangerous for me as I was taking a prescribed drug to try to prevent migraine and it was made crystal clear I was not to use alcohol with this prescribed drug.
A friendship was tested that evening I can tell you.

Secondly, and not so long ago, I was due to fly home from visiting the UK and staying with friends. I was due to leave the house at something 04.00 in the morning so didn't bother going to bed as the friends where having a party. To cut a very long story short upon arrival at the airport and passing through customs a Labrador barked his head of at me. I was 'requested' to accompany officials to a side room where I was 'questioned' (talk about the third degree) in relation to any illicit drugs I had taken!
The penny dropped, what I thought was the smell of incense was possibly the smell of pot being smoked. I had not felt too good at the party and soon put two and two together. Don't say it.
I was asked if I would take a blood test. Of course I agreed to any testing they had provided the blood was taken by a doctor. After waiting some time I was just told I could go. The suggestion was I didn't attend 'parties' the night before flying especially with people I didn't know. This was a very difficult interview for me as I could not drop my 'friends' (read younger brother) in the crap. I was bloody furious and when I arrived home did he get an earful.

I will also add this that had such testing been common when I was involved in competition I would have, no doubt, been banned for life. I have entered championships with a cold, the flue and other bugs plus paracetamol and ibuprofen not to mention Clonidine-Dixarit (migraine prevention) and Motilium an anti emetic being in my blood. At one point I even used an anti anxiety to get me through the championships as the bigger the event the larger the venue and the larger that crowd that I hated performing in front of. Today goodness knows what the sporting authorities would have made from me? I must make this clear that the medication I took where prescribed medications NOT anything illicit.

Hell if they tested my blood today the syringe would melt. Not to mention I have no doubt they would find some new illness I had!!!!

Mike

All the chemicals that run through my Alcohol system.....
(and some of you thought I had blood)...are the only things that keep me upright and breathing, if there was any serious testing at the Veterans and Masters tournaments that I attend, nobody would get a clean result from the swabs !!