In a joint statement issued this evening by the Irish Sports Council and Cycling Ireland, it was announced that Irish amateur cyclist Ciaran Kelly has been handed a four-year ban.
Kelly tested positive for Clebuterol, a substance used for weight loss, on April 20th of last year.
Usually a two-year ban would apply for such an offence but 'aggravating circumstances' lead to the period of suspension being increased to the maximum of four years.
These circumstances included the 27-year-old from Leixlip claiming that he had tested positive due to consuming meat which was tainted with the banned substance.
His claims were rejected.
Here's the statement in full.
Cycling Ireland and the Irish Sports Council jointly announce that the Irish Sport Anti-Doping Disciplinary Panel ("the Panel") determined that rider Ciaran Kelly has committed an anti-doping rule violation.
Ciaran Kelly has been sanctioned by a period of ineligibility of 4 years commencing on the 27th July 2015, the date of the decision, subject to rights of appeal within 21 days of that date under the Irish Anti-Doping Rules ("the Rules"). In a competition test carried out on 20th April 2014, he provided a sample which tested positive for the presence of a prohibited substance, Clebuterol.
In relation to the increased period of ineligibility, under Article 10.5 of the Rules, the Panel determined that:
"Aggravating circumstances are present in this case which justify the imposition of a period of ineligibility greater than the standard sanction of 2 years, and that the period of ineligibility otherwise applicable should be increased up to the maximum period of 4 years."
As regards duration of sanction, under Article 10.7.3.1 of the Rules, the Panel determined that:
"Mr. Kelly failed to respect the provisional suspension imposed by Cycling Ireland, and have decided that he should not receive any credit for the period of provisional suspension against the four year period of ineligibility which is now imposed".
The hearing was held on under Article 8 (Disciplinary Process) of the 2009 Irish Anti-Doping Rules and this announcement is made pursuant to Article 15 (Public Disclosure) of the Rules.
