Olympic triathlon champion Alistair Brownlee has medical data leaked by Fancy Bears
By PA Sport
Last Updated: 03/10/16 6:13pm
Double Olympic Triathlon champion Alistair Brownlee is the latest British sport star to have his medical data leaked by Russian computer hackers the Fancy Bears.
The sixth batch of stolen therapeutic use exemption (TUE) forms belongs to 20 athletes from 14 different countries, which means 127 athletes have now been named over the last three weeks.
Brownlee's TUE - effectively a doctor's note enabling him to take medication that would normally be banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency - was for a two-day course of acetazolamide in October 2013.
Acetazolamide, or Diamox as it is more commonly known, is used to treat altitude sickness or glaucoma but as a diuretic it has been used by some athletes as a masking agent.
"I have had one TUE in my career in October 2013 for Diamox to treat altitude sickness while climbing Kilimanjaro," Brownlee said on his official Twitter account.
"Slightly embarrassing that someone as fit as me suffered from altitude sickness but thankfully @jonny_brownlee was there to carry me."
As with the other 126 athletes whose TUEs have been hacked from WADA's database, there is no suggestion of Brownlee, a four-time world champion, breaking any anti-doping rules.
Previous names to have their medical data released in this way include GB cycling stars Chris Froome and Sir Bradley Wiggins, American tennis sisters Serena and Venus Williams, British distance runner Mo Farah and Spanish tennis star Rafael Nadal.
Brownlee, enjoying a golden period of popularity along with his brother and fellow triathlete Jonathan, is the 24th British sports star to be named.
The Fancy Bears, believed to have targeted WADA's database in retaliation for the investigations that exposed Russia's state-sponsored doping programme, have been widely condemned by anti-doping groups for breaching data protection laws and falsely accusing innocent athletes of cheating.
Their actions have drawn attention to an area that some anti-doping experts have suggested is open to abuse.
WADA has defended the TUE process, insisting it is essential to allow athletes with medical conditions to compete at the highest level, while Wiggins has denied he took advantage of the system to gain a physical benefit beyond dealing with a long-standing and debilitating pollen allergy.
The chief of British Triathlon Jack Buckner defended Brownlee and said: "Lets be very clear; athletes who have a TUE on their record have followed the rules based on a specific medical requirement.
"The successes achieved by British triathletes is down to hard work, dedication and world class coaching. We can say that with absolute confidence that our athletes have nothing to hide.
"This attack on the integrity of athletes is shocking, we strongly condemn actions of this nature and continue to be in close contact with UKAD and WADA in regards to this matter."
