Athletes warned one-night stands could lead to failed drugs tests

Doping officials have warned elite athletes that they should avoid one-night stands to avoid a risk of contamination with banned substances.
Tennis player Richard Gasquet was cleared by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas) in 2009 after testing positive for cocaine, with the Frenchman able to prove that it entered his system after kissing a woman at a nightclub.
'Gasquet managed to get her to come and give evidence to say: 'Yes, I'm a cocaine addict. I use cocaine,' leading sports lawyer Mark Hovell explained at the Sports Resolutions conference in London. ''I kissed him in this ­nightclub.' But with a one-night stand, how are you going to be able to find that person again? That's the problem.'
Travis Tygart, the head of the US Anti-Doping Agency (Usada), also cited the example of American boxer Virginia Fuchs, who tested positive for prohibited substances in 2020 but was cleared after proving that the metabolites detected were consistent with recent exposure via sexual transmission with her partner.
Tygart, who has criticised the World Anti-Doping Agency regularly over the last 12 months, called on the body to relax the minimum reporting level of substances that could be sexually transmitted so that athletes were not at risk of suspension.
'I think based on the cases we've seen, watch who you kiss and watch out who you have an intimate relationship with,' Tygart said.
'I think it's a pretty ridiculous world we're expecting our athletes to live in, which is why we're pushing to try to change these rules to make it more reasonable and fair.
'The onus is always on the athletes – we as anti-doping organisations, need to take some of that responsibility back. And I worry how many of the intentional cheats are actually getting away because we're spending so much time and resources on the cases that end up being someone kissing someone at a bar.'

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

Scottish Sun

2 hours ago

• Scottish Sun

Terence Crawford says there is ‘nothing' Canelo Alvarez can do to beat him… even in a STREET fight

Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) TERENCE CRAWFORD warned Canelo Alvarez there is nothing he can do to beat him - even in a STREET fight. The unbeaten American jumps two divisions to challenge for Canelo's undisputed super-middleweight world title on September 13 in Las Vegas. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 4 Terence Crawford says he would beat Canelo Alvarez even in a street fight Credit: AFP 4 Canelo faces Crawford on September 13 in Las Vegas Credit: Reuters Canelo once talked down the blockbuster bout - believing he had nothing to gain from beating a man who started his career at lightweight. So the Mexican great was probed on the damage a loss to two-time undisputed champ Crawford would have on his iconic record. But cool as ice Canelo, 34, replied: "He's not gonna beat me. Don't worry about it, he's not going to beat me. "I think this fight is going to be in the history books of boxing, for sure." READ MORE IN boxing CRAW TO BE KIND Crawford says Canelo bout biggest in 20 YEARS & lifts lid on sharing dinner Crawford, 37, snapped back: "For sure them belts are coming with me, they're coming home with me. "I'm taking them, and there ain't nothing you can do about it come fight night. I promise you. You see I'm different than all the others ones." Canelo - who has won titles all the way from 154lb to 175lb - countered: "You don't look different. Nothing different." Crawford has not returned since last August when he beat Israil Madrimov, 30, for WBA light-middleweight title. 4 CASINO SPECIAL - BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITS Meanwhile, Canelo regained his undisputed 168lb throne with victory over William Scull, 32, in May in Riyadh. He now headlines on Netflix at the Las Vegas Raiders' £1BILLION 65,000-seater stadium against Crawford - who says there is no way he loses to Canelo - in the ring or otherwise. Terence Crawford opens up on dinner with Canelo Alvarez ahead of 'biggest fight in 20 YEARS' He said: "Come on, man. You know what I do. "I don't have to talk about it, on the streets me against anybody, I ain't ever gonna say another man can whoop me. That's your answer there." But Canelo hit back: "We're not talking about the streets we're talking about boxing, the beautiful sport of boxing."

Daily Record

3 hours ago

• Daily Record

Why Justin Thomas is getting 'p*****d off' as he soars at the Travelers

American star takes anger of Oakmont into superb show at TPC River Highlands Passionate Justin Thomas admits he still gets 'p****d off' more than he should after bad weeks at the office. The American star produced a brilliant Friday 64 in gusting winds to join Scottie Scheffler at the top of the leaderboard at the Travelers Championship. ‌ Thomas was a picture of dejection last week at the US Open when he played terribly by his own admission and missed the cut at a second-straight Major. ‌ The 32-year-old hung around Oakmont on the Saturday to put in graft and help his game, but it didn't stop him hurting at the display and he admits it still takes longer than he would like to get over bad showings and close the book. Thomas said: 'It unfortunately hasn't become any easier. I still get pretty p****d off about it and it weighs on me more than it should. I think you hear a lot of guys talk about it, their golf defining them and it doesn't change who they are as a person. But I still very clearly think of myself as my person of how I'm playing golf. I would like to change that, but it's just the reality. It means a lot to me. 'You could say it's good or bad, but coming to a place that I like and I feel like I kind of know, it's a lot easier for me to get over last week versus if I was going to a course that I haven't had success at or I feel like I have a hard time playing, then it could be a little like: Uh oh, what are we going to do kind of thing. 'It's a great tournament and it's deserved a lot of accolades and a lot of respect from players and fans and everybody. Now the guys are coming to play it. I think they see it. It's a really fun golf course, especially after the week after the US Open. That can sometimes not be that fun. It feels like a little bit of a relief. It also still requires a lot, but it's a totally different kind. 'I went out and practised a good bit Saturday because I felt like I played pretty terribly and wanted to get some work in. I felt I was close and just wasn't sharp. Just too many shots that weren't good enough.' ‌ Thomas, who won this year's RBC Heritage, delivered some magic with five-straight birdies down the nine nine to rifle himself towards the summit in Connecticut and it was even-more impressive given the buffeting winds which hit TPC River Highlands and put the brakes on some scoring. He said: 'I felt like I was in good control. I just kept it out of trouble, but it's still a good sign on a really windy day that, if I have far from my best, I can just get it around the course and then just stay patient. 'It was a lot of crosswinds and the difference of riding the wind and holding the wind has a big difference of distance control and everything. It's hard to get in the rhythm and I kind of struggled with that. I'm giving it enough room to stay luckily in the fairway. ‌ 'The last probably three or four years, I've just committed to almost hitting driver or three-wood and just kind of hitting just a little like dinky kind of shot out there. Something to where like I don't care what it looks like. I don't care anything. I'm just trying to hit it in a fairway and whatever is most comfortable doing that. "I think it's why I have had some good rounds in conditions like this because I can't really play golf swing, I have to play way more golf and I can't be over the ball thinking about what it's like here. getting this way or one way or another, with the winds blowing 25 or 30 off my left shoulder, I need to figure out how to make it not go right and it's just all feel. There's something to be said for that. I just need to do a better job of doing that when it's blowing five miles an hour and not 35 miles an hour. "It's why Scottie is so good in the wind, he hits the middle of the club face about every time. That's a huge part of it. The distance control. Hit the shot that you're requiring. It's way more art because you just have to create and kind of feel out there. 'I played so many rounds of golf and so many different kinds of conditions that I think you almost have like kind of muscle memory or just memory of stuff in past. And then you just try to hopefully pick up on some things that you've learned and just notice. Like in an Open Championship or something or, or, or any tournament, you're kind of not middle of the pack or something and see like windy conditions, I just get excited because I know it's extremely difficult and a couple under goes a really, really, really long way. I just try to embrace it and feel like I do a decent job of that.'

South Wales Argus

3 hours ago

• South Wales Argus

Residents line streets to welcome home Israeli-American hostage

Hundreds of cheering supporters, many waving Israeli flags and holding 'Welcome Home Edan' signs, lined the streets of Tenafly to greet his passing vehicle. A smiling Mr Alexander held his arm out the passenger-side window to wave and touch the hands of people in the crowd. The militant group Hamas released Mr Alexander, 21, on May 12 after 584 days. He has been in Israel since he was freed. Thursday marked his first trip home to Tenafly, the suburb of New York City where he grew up and where his family still lives. People in Tel Aviv watch a live broadcast of Israeli-American soldier Edan Alexander's release from Hamas captivity (Oded Balilty/AP) Mr Alexander was 19 when militants stormed his base in Israel and dragged him into the Gaza Strip. He was among the 251 people taken hostage in Hamas' attack on October 7 2023. Mr Alexander moved to Israel in 2022 after finishing high school and enlisted in the military. Since his capture, there's been a huge outpouring of support for him in Tenafly, located in a county with a large Jewish and Israeli-American population. The community held regular walks to raise awareness about him and the other hostages. Many gathered in May to celebrate his release. 'Edan's return is the return of everybody's child, every organisation, every family, every Israeli family, and non-Israeli, and non-Jews,' Orly Chen, a Tenafly resident, told CBS News New York on Thursday.