USADA announced today that Robert Jerry Qualls, of Reno, Nev., an athlete in the sport of track and field, has accepted an additional three-month period of ineligibility for violating the terms of his sanction.
Qualls, 73, initially accepted a three-year period of ineligibility in June 2024 after his sample, collected in-competition at the USA Track & Field Masters 5km Championships on February 24, 2024, tested positive for prohibited substances. USADA was contracted by event organizers to conduct testing and results management for that event. The announcement regarding Qualls’s initial violation can be found here.
Under the terms of his initial sanction, Qualls is prohibited from participating in any capacity in a competition or activity authorized or organized by a World Anti-Doping Code signatory or club or member organization of a World Anti-Doping Code signatory. He is also prohibited from participating in any professional league, any international-level or national-level event organization, or any elite or national-level sporting activity funded by a governmental agency during his period of ineligibility. USADA received a tip that Qualls participated in the Nevada Senior Games and the Huntsman World Senior Games in October 2024—both of which are sanctioned by USA Track & Field—thereby violating the terms of his sanction.
Upon investigating the circumstances of the violation, USADA concluded that Qualls was operating under the mistaken belief that the terms of his sanction did not prohibit him from participating in these specific events, which he did not realize were affiliated with USA Track & Field. However, USADA concluded that an additional period of ineligibility was warranted because the events were in fact sanctioned by USA Track & Field, and like all sanctioned athletes, Qualls was responsible for understanding and abiding by the terms of his sanction.
Qualls accepted an additional three-month period of ineligibility, so his original three-year period of ineligibility, which began on April 2, 2024, has been increased to a 39-month period of ineligibility. In addition, Qualls has been disqualified from all competitive results obtained at the Nevada Senior Games and the Huntsman World Senior Games including forfeiture of any medals, points and prizes.
In an effort to aid athletes, as well as support team members such as parents, coaches, and medical professionals in understanding the rules applicable to them, USADA provides comprehensive instruction on its website on the testing process and prohibited substances, how to file and update athlete Whereabouts, 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 (GlobalDRO.com), conducts educational sessions with National Governing Bodies and their athletes, and distributes a multitude of educational materials, such as a supplement guide, a nutrition guide, a clean sport handbook, and periodic alerts and advisories.
USADA makes available a number of ways to report the abuse of performance-enhancing drugs in sport in an effort to protect clean athletes and promote clean competition. Any tip can be reported using the USADA Play Clean Tip Center, by text at 87232 (“USADA”), by email at playclean@USADA.org, by phone at 1-877-Play Clean (1-877-752-9253) or by mail.
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.
For more information or media inquiries, email media@usada.org.