British wrestler Chinu Sandhu banned for four years for doping violation
Wednesday 22 March 2017 11:09, UK
Commonwealth Games freestyle wrestling bronze medallist Chinu Sandhu has been banned for four years over an anti-doping rule violation.
Sandhu, who won bronze for England in Glasgow in 2014, tested positive for a metabolite of stanozolol, an exogenous anabolic androgenic steroid, following an out-of-competition test on September 20, 2016.
The 29-year-old, also known as Chinu Chinu and Chinu XXX, contested the charge on the grounds that he had not acted intentionally and that the positive sample had resulted from ingesting a contaminated supplement.
But an independent National Anti-Doping Panel upheld the charge, based on the lack of evidence presented, and a four-year period of ineligibility was imposed.
UKAD chief executive Nicole Sapstead said: "Chinu Sandhu was one of this country's leading freestyle wrestlers having won a bronze medal at the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games and represented Great Britain at the European Games in Baku in 2015.
"It is sad that his reputation within the sport has been tainted because of his own actions.
"Athletes are solely responsible for any substance which is found in their system, regardless of whether there is an intention to cheat or not. No one can ever guarantee that a supplement is free from prohibited substances and taking them will always carry an element of risk.
"Our advice is clear - before taking any supplement, athletes must assess the need. It is then imperative that they assess the risk of use by carrying out thorough research through websites such as informed-sport.com. Finally, athletes must fully understand the consequences of taking supplements and decide whether a potential four-year ban from sport is worth it."
