Colombian Para-athlete Katty Julieth Hurtado receives two-year ban for doping

Bonn (Germany), Sep 19 (IANS) The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) has banned para-athlete Katty Julieth Hurtado for a period of two years for committing an anti-doping rule violation (ADRV), in breach of the IPC Anti-Doping Code.

The sanction was determined following a hearing of the Independent Anti-Doping Tribunal, which has jurisdiction to hear and determine alleged ADRVs under the IPC’s Anti-Doping Code.

The Colombian athlete returned an adverse analytical finding (AAF) for a prohibited substance in a urine sample provided in-competition on May 25, 2024, following the women's 400m T38 event at the 2024 Para Athletics World Championships in Kobe, Japan.

The prohibited substance was N,N-Dimethylphenethylamine (phenethylamine and its derivatives). The substance is included in the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) 2024 Prohibited List under the class S6 Stimulants. It is a Specified Substance for the purposes of the Code.

The athlete was provisionally suspended by the IPC on November 21, 2024, pending a resolution of her case, the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) informed in a release on Friday.

The athlete contested the ADRV charges and consequences proposed by the IPC and requested that a hearing of the Tribunal be held. Following the hearing, the Tribunal upheld the ADRV charges brought against the athlete by the IPC and imposed the consequences requested by the IPC in full.

In particular, the Tribunal concluded that no valid scientific evidence had been submitted by the athlete to justify the presence of the prohibited substance in her samples. In addition, the athlete failed to establish no fault or negligence for the violation.

As a result of her violation, the athlete will be ineligible for competition and other sporting activities (other than authorised anti-doping education or rehabilitation programs) for two years from 21 November 2024 until 20 November 2026.

All the results obtained by the athlete at the Kobe 2024 Para Athletics World Championships are disqualified, with all resulting consequences, including forfeiture of any medals, points, and prizes. All other results obtained by the athlete from the date the sample was collected until the commencement of the provisional suspension are also disqualified, with all resulting consequences, including forfeiture of any medals, points, and prizes.

Each athlete is strictly liable for the substances found in their sample. An ADRV occurs whenever a prohibited substance (or its metabolites or markers) is found in their bodily sample, whether or not the athlete intentionally or unintentionally used a prohibited substance or was negligent or otherwise at fault.

As a signatory of the World Anti-Doping Code (the WADC), the IPC remains committed to a doping-free sporting environment at all levels. The IPC has established the IPC Anti-Doping Code in compliance with the general principles of the WADC, including the WADC International Standards, expecting that, in the spirit of sport, it will lead the fight against doping in sport for athletes with an impairment.

--IANS

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