ICC suspends Sri Lanka batsman Tharanga for three months
June 24th, 2011 - 11:32 pm ICT by IANSDubai, June 24 (IANS) Sri Lanka’s opening batsman Upul Tharanga was Friday found guilty of breaching International Cricket Council (ICC) Anti-Doping Code and was suspended from all forms of the game for a period of three months.
The 26-year-old Tharanga provided an urine sample as part of the ICC’s random in-competition testing programme after the conclusion of the World Cup semi-final between Sri Lanka and New Zealand, held in Colombo, March 29.
His sample was subsequently tested by a World Anti Doping Agency (WADA) accredited laboratory and was found to contain metabolites of two glucocorticosteroids - prednisone and prednisolone.
These are classified as “specified substances” under WADA’s Prohibited List and are prohibited in-competition ‘when administered by oral, intravenous intramuscular or rectal routes’.
An independent anti-doping tribunal, comprising Tim Kerr (acting as chairman), Anik Sax and Peter Sever heard the case via videoconference and Friday made its determination after considering detailed written and oral legal submissions as well as live witness evidence, including from Tharanga himself.
The tribunal accepted that Tharanga had ingested the “specified substances” when drinking a herbal remedy given to him to ease discomfort caused by a long-standing shoulder injury.
It also found that Tharanga had no intention to enhance his sporting performance or to mask the use of another performance enhancing substance, but that he had failed to satisfy the high levels of personal responsibility implicit upon him as an international cricketer subject to anti-doping rules.
Tharanga pleaded guilty to the offence at an early stage in the proceedings and, as mandated under the ICC Code, the tribunal disqualified the rankings points he earned from the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011.
The tribunal also exercised its discretion under the ICC Code to impose upon him a period of ineligibility of three months, which was back-dated, in accordance with the discretion afforded to the tribunal under the ICC Code, to commence May 9 and expiring at midnight Aug 8, therefore leaving him eligible to return to cricket Aug 9.
- Sri Lankan sports minister sets up panel for Tharanga's dope case - May 30, 2011
- Windies women's cricketer gets five-month ban - Nov 19, 2011
- Mumbai FC's Nishant Mehra tests positive in I-League - Feb 09, 2011
- Hockey keeper Adrian D'Souza tests positive for banned substance (Lead, correcting last para) - Apr 13, 2012
- Hockey keeper Adrian D'Souza tests positive for banned substance - Apr 13, 2012
- Four cricketers of current Pak squad undergo "dope tests" in England - Sep 16, 2010
- 1,500 dope tests to be held during Commonwealth Games - Oct 02, 2010
- Police, paramilitary athletes fall into dope trap - Apr 22, 2012
- Alberto Contador to lose his Tour de France title - Feb 06, 2012
- Avoid meat before Olympics, China tells its athletes - Mar 15, 2012
- Athletics body transfers Mandeep, Juana dope cases to NADA - Jul 20, 2011
- London 2012 anti-doping laboratory receives seal of approval - Apr 24, 2012
- CGF confirms Sri Lankan boxer failed drug test - Oct 25, 2010
- ICC's WADA anti-doping clause not giving Pak cricketers sleepless nights - Aug 01, 2009
- India's athletes Mandeep, Juana fail dope tests, suspended (Lead) - Jun 30, 2011
Tags: accredited laboratory, batsman, cricket world cup, cricket world cup 2011, glucocorticosteroids, herbal remedy, icc cricket world, icc cricket world cup, icc cricket world cup 2011, icc suspends, international cricket council, intramuscular, legal submissions, prednisolone, shoulder injury, tim kerr, videoconference, wada, witness evidence, world anti doping agency