It seemed like all of Australia supported runner Peter Bol when he edged out the pack during the men’s 800m final at the Tokyo Olympics.
Bol, a refugee from Sudan who came to Australia at eight years old, was the nation’s first finalist in the competition in 53 years.
He has persisted in impressing, but two months ago, he was hit with what he claims are false accusations that he is a drug cheat, shattering his chances of competing in the following Olympics and upsetting his life.
But Australia’s anti-doping program has also been charged with treating his case as a “catastrophic blunder” that, according to experts, might have worldwide repercussions.
Bol was informed in January that he had failed an out-of-competition drug test and had been temporarily suspended, making it impossible for him to train or compete.
Erythropoietin, a prohibited substance, had produced a favourable result from him.
It is a hormone that occurs naturally and is better known as EPO. However, when injected,
EPO is a type of blood doping and has been used by athletes, most notably Lance Armstrong, to enhance stamina and recovery.
Bol immediately asked for a new analysis of his sample, which is a confidential process.
However, his preliminary result and subsequent suspension were leaked to the media a week later, just days before he was expected to be crowned Young Australian of the Year.
The runner posted about his “shock” on social media.
“It is important to convey the conviction that I am innocent and have not taken this substance as I am accused,” he stated.
His backup sample came back with an “atypical response”—neither positive nor negative—on February 14th, one month later. The two samples seldom do not match, according to experts.
Bol’s temporary suspension was quickly lifted, and the athlete claimed to have been cleared. The last month has been nothing short of a nightmare, he added in a statement, so the relief he is experiencing is difficult to put into words.
According to their statement, “An [atypical finding] is not the same as a negative test result,” and it was impossible to predict when the procedure would be finished.
Bol has stated that he is currently awaiting an official SIA interview. However, his team reported this week that Bol had been cleared by two independent laboratories of ever injecting EPO.
Bol’s samples were examined by a team in Norway and a Canadian expert. The Australian Sports Drug Testing Laboratory (ASDTL) was found to have erred in both the test’s execution and its interpretation of the results, mistaking naturally occurring EPO for synthetic.
They came to the conclusion that Bol’s initial sample shouldn’t have ever tested positive.
Despite having 20 years of EPO testing experience and being the only Wada-approved laboratory in Australia, Bol’s attorney Paul Greene criticized the ATSDL for its “inexperience and incompetence.” He insisted that SIA end its inquiry and apologize for its “catastrophic blunders”.
Bol’s case may have “major ramifications for other cases around the world,” according to sports attorney and former director of Australia’s anti-doping organization Catherine Ordway.
According to Dr. Ordway, other facilities have already lost permits over a single false positive, so if the lab did make mistakes throughout the testing procedure, it may endanger its accreditation.
More significantly, Bol’s case has rekindled questions about the test itself. According to Dr. Ordway, a proven error might invalidate decades-old EPO test results.
Exercise physiologist & biochemist Rob Robergs that there are two main ways that EPO tests could go wrong.
Numerous drug tests, according to the Queensland University of Technology professor, are “incredibly sensitive” to minute mistakes. However, since the method – unlike testing for many other prohibited chemicals – does not yield a simple yes or no answer, errors can also be made in interpretation of EPO test results.
Since EPO is a naturally occurring hormone, laboratories are attempting to ascertain whether synthetic EPO exists.
“When they’re making a judgement on that, it’s subjective,” Dr. Ordway asserts. “They’re trying to read it and say, ‘Is it outside of normal range?'” However, how can we establish the usual range?
Dr. Robergs notes that some persons, frequently high-performance athletes, have naturally higher hormone levels. Bol himself and others have made assumptions on how the athlete’s race and genetic origin may have impacted his performance.
It’s difficult to say whether any of those elements were taken into account when anti-doping authorities established the allowable range of EPO, according to Dr. Robergs.
There is a lack of transparency, therefore we simply don’t know.
Bol’s case, according to Drs. Ordway and Robergs, might erode public trust in the worldwide anti-doping system, and Wada has to examine its existing EPO testing practices.
The Wada method for EPO testing needs to be modified, according to both independent labs that examined Bol’s test findings.
“We must preserve and rebuild the public’s faith in the system. Otherwise, if you lose the clean athletes’ trust, the system collapses, adds Dr. Ordway.
Given the limitations of science, others argue that the scandal should also force authorities to reevaluate how they handle athletes who are accused of doping.
According to sports historian Stephen Townsend, the SIA takes a “very black and white” attitude to anti-doping and is “ruthless” in its pursuit of alleged cheats.
According to Dr. Townsend from the University of Queensland, “This case raises questions about whether or not they should assume athlete guilt before they assume athlete innocence.”
Bol and SIA have both had a difficult saga, and he claims that any future conclusion is unlikely to be very different. The sports police are the SIA. They have a responsibility to uphold the integrity of sports and the concept of a level playing field.
They can’t acknowledge they were mistaken, even though they undoubtedly realize they have little chance of bringing Bol up for a doping violation in this case.
Bol now has a cloud hanging over his head that he acknowledges he might never be able to remove.
In an interview with Seven last month, Bol stated, “There will always be rumors.”
People will assume you are using drugs when you perform well, I promise. Additionally, if I don’t perform well, people will assume I’m high.
