Thursday, February 28, 2008

Daubney may still be in trouble?

LAUSANNE, Switzerland - The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) director general David Howman told reporters on Wednesday the organisation was considering an appeal in the case of New Zealand yachtsman Simon Daubney who tested positive for cocaine during Team Alinghi's successful defence of the America's Cup.

Daubney became the first sailor in America's Cup history to fail a doping test after providing a sample containing two metabolites of cocaine on the opening day of the 2007 competition.
The yachtsman subsequently resigned from his Swiss team but had his suspension lifted last month by the International Yachting Federation (ISAF).

The Federation said it had based its decision on a ruling by the Swiss Olympic Association whose disciplinary chamber ruled that Daubney had not infringed any anti-doping rules.

"We are looking at the Daubney case very closely because he was fully exonerated for an adverse finding," Howman said.

"We have not yet received the full reasons which is why we have yet to make a final decision, but the first review causes us concern."

WADA has appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) over a decision by US officials to clear American sprinter LaTasha Jenkins of doping.

"We just appealed against the Jenkins decision," Howman said. "She was exonerated on grounds that, once we looked at it, we considered not sustainable."

Jenkins, a silver medallist in 200 metres at the 2001 world championships and world indoor championships, tested positive for the steroid nandrolone at a meeting in Belgium in July 2006.
The charges against her were dismissed last December by the US Anti-Doping Agency which cited irregularities in the testing procedure.

Jenkins' representatives argued that the testing laboratories had violated a WADA standard requiring that tests be carried out by different technicians.
- By Mark Ledsom REUTERS Photo / Getty Images