Tug of War athlete receives four-year ban after testing positive for cocaine

A tug of war athlete has been handed a four-year ban after testing positive for cocaine.

Aidan Byrne, from Ballinastoe Tug of War Club, Co Wicklow, tested positive for the cocaine metabolite, benzoylecgonine, during an in-competition test at a national event in July 2023, Sport Ireland have announced.

Had he produced evidence that the use of the drug was recreational, rather than performance enhancing, Byrne would have seen his ban reduced to three months. However, he did not dispute the violations and is therefore deemed to have admitted his culpability. His right to a hearing was waived, Sport Ireland saying he is seen as having accepted the proposed sanctions.

The four-year ban was therefore imposed. It starts from the date of his provisional suspension which started one month after the failed test.

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On Wednesday, Sport Ireland announced that Byrne had violated articles 2.1 and 2.2 of the Irish anti-doping rules.

According to the ruling, after a World Anti-Doping Agency lab in Cologne, Germany, reported an adverse finding, Byrne told Sport Ireland that he had a prescription for Vimovo and Amoxicillin. He also stated that he was given antibiotics and steroids through an IV while he was in A&E.

While Vimovo and Amoxicillin are permitted in sport, Sport Ireland told Byrne that it did not accept that an IV drip received in hospital contained cocaine. A hearing would have been the next step if the athlete wished to continue with that defence.

The following day, Byrne responded admitting that he had taken cocaine recreationally in a pub, saying: “I, Aidan Byrne am writing to you to admit I took a small amount of cocaine recreationally on Friday the 30th of June with friends in the pub. I foolishly took it without thinking of the consequences.”

Sport Ireland asked for corroborating evidence of the recreational use, such as witness statements, but never received a response from Byrne. The body says it sent multiple follow up emails to the athlete and left a voicemail but ultimately, did not receive a response after August 15th, 2023.

Byrne’s ban will end in August 2027.

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