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Sun Oct 08, 2006 3:49 pm

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Neil Griffin was provisionally suspended from the WMA for failing drug tests in San Sebastian and Lintz. The revised finish list for the meet was published at the end of July and Neil's name was not removed, so he was apparently exonerated. If that is the case, the WMA should have publicly stated that he was not guilty of the offense. I'm sure his provisional suspension was extremely embarrassing to him and his family. If his suspension was lifted, the WMA has a duty to clear his name.

Neil is a great thrower and an even better competitor (he beat me at Gateshead with a 10 ft PR). I am looking forward to competing against him in Riccioni. Does anyone know what happened in his case?

Tom Fahey M59



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Mon Oct 09, 2006 6:23 am

 
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Seems to me to have been handled in an insensitive way. This is the link to the official announcement on the WMA site:

http://www.world-masters-athletics.org/ ... &suchwert=

Neil simply isn't mentioned there. Looks like the WMA don't do exhonoration or want to share the good news that an athlete has been cleared.

Tom Phillips
England

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Mon Oct 09, 2006 9:00 am

 
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I wrote about Neil's case on my blog:
http://masterstrack.com/blog/000876.html

Something fishy here. Neil didn't deserve this rap.

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Thu Oct 26, 2006 4:02 pm

 
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Neil has just received a two-year ban from the date of his suspension in June. I don't want to go into too much detail, but here are the basics:-

Neil is a diabetic with very low testosterone level. Since late 2004 he has been on testerone injections to keep his level in the normal range. This is essential to protect his health. He applied for a TUE very soon after he went on the injections. WMA replied saying they had passed it on to IAAF. That was the last he ever heard of it.

He was targetted for testing at San Sebstian and they found testosterone. He was officially informed about the test in February 2006. WMA handled it so badly, including losing all the paperwork, that no action was taken.
He was given permission by Dieter Massin to compete in Linz and was asked to submit a further TUE a few days before the competition, which he did. He was again targetted at Linz, and, surprise, surprise, they found testosterone again. The date of the test was March 15th.

He received a letter saying his sample taken on March 18th had contained stanozolon. He was asked to keep the matter confidential. The WMA then put the announcement on their web site that he had been taking steroids. Neil then received copies of two test results from WMA, his, which was positive for testosterone, and that of the Russian shot putter, on March 18th, which showed stanozolon.

I hope you are getting some idea of the competence of WMA.

Neil had a hearing in Germany three weeks ago, at which he provided considerable medical evidence to support his case.

Karri Wichman denied receiving the TUE until after he got home from Linz, although he had confirmed with one of the British Masters officials in Linz that he had received it. At the hearing Wichman handed round a list of about ten names, and he said these were all athletes whose TUEs he had passed on to IAAF with no reply. There was nothing he could do about it.

Neil received the result of the hearing on Monday. It contained the following:

‘It is not within the realm of the Panel to decide upon the soundness of Mr. Griffin´s TUE applications for testosterone submitted in January 2005 and March 2006 and, hence, the Panel did not weigh the medical evidence produced in support of the applications.'

He was therefore guilty of taking testosterone without a valid TUE.

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