USADA announced today that Chris Carter, of Hearne, Texas, an athlete in the sport of track and field, has accepted a nine-month sanction for an anti-doping rule violation after testing positive for a prohibited substance from a contaminated supplement.
Carter, 28, tested positive for ostarine as the result of an out-of-competition urine sample he provided on February 22, 2017. Ostarine is in the class of Anabolic Agents and prohibited at all times under the USADA Protocol for Olympic and Paralympic Movement Testing, the United States Olympic Committee National Anti-Doping Policies, and the International Association of Athletics Federations Anti-Doping Rules, all of which have adopted the World Anti-Doping Code (Code) and the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Prohibited List.
Ostarine, also known as MK-2866 and Enobosarm, is a non-FDA approved selective androgen receptor modulator (SARM) that is illegally sold in the United States and worldwide as a performance-enhancing substance. Ostarine is not currently available as a prescription medication in any country, and its unauthorized use may carry serious side effects. Nonetheless, ostarine has been found as a declared and undeclared ingredient in many dietary supplements sold in the United States, which has prompted the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to issue warning letters to specific dietary supplement manufacturers stating that ostarine is an unapproved new drug and that selling the drug is in violation of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act.
During an investigation into the circumstances of the case, Carter provided USADA with information about a supplement he declared on his doping control form, which did not list ostarine or any known synonym on the Supplement Facts label. However, detailed analysis subsequently conducted on the supplement by the WADA-accredited laboratory in Salt Lake City, Utah, confirmed the presence of ostarine in the product, which has since been added to the High Risk List maintained on USADA’s online dietary supplement safety education and awareness resource – Supplement 411 (www.supplement411.org).
The contaminated products rule set forth in the Code provides the opportunity for a substantial reduction in the otherwise applicable period of ineligibility if, as here, an athlete is able to establish a reduced degree of fault or negligence for the violation and establish that the positive test resulted from the use of a contaminated product.
Carter’s nine-month period of ineligibility began on March 13, 2017, the date his provisional suspension was imposed. In addition, Carter has been disqualified from all competitive results obtained on and subsequent to February 22, 2017, the date his positive sample was collected, including forfeiture of any medals, points and prizes.
In an effort to aid athletes, as well as all support team members such as parents and coaches, in understanding the rules applicable to them, USADA provides comprehensive instruction on its website on the testing process and prohibited substances, how to obtain permission to use a necessary medication, and the risks and dangers of taking supplements as well as performance-enhancing and recreational drugs. In addition, USADA manages a drug reference hotline, Global Drug Reference Online (www.GlobalDRO.com), conducts educational sessions with National Governing Bodies and their athletes, and proactively distributes a multitude of educational materials, such as the Prohibited List, easy-reference wallet cards, periodic newsletters, and protocol and policy reference documentation.
USADA is responsible for the testing and results management process for athletes in the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Movement, and is equally dedicated to preserving the integrity of sport through research initiatives and educational programs.
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