Two international dressage riders, Katarzyna Milczarek and Agusti Elias, have been suspended by the FEI after testing positive to a WADA prohibited substance at international dressage competitions this spring and summer.
Both cases will be heard by the FEI Tribunal where the riders can explain and defend themselves.
Katarzyna Milczarek
Polish Grand Prix team rider Katarzyna Milczarek tested positive to Anabolic Androgenic Steroids (AAS) at the 2022 World Championships Dressage in Herning (DEN).
Her suspension commenced on 27 September 2022.
Milczarek gave an official statement to the Polish equestrian website Swiat Koni, "for some time now, I have been taking medications to help me deal with the negative effects of the menopause. I informed the doctor about this when I took the doping test sample from me. At the pharmacist's recommendation, I recently changed the existing supplement to an over-the-counter drug, containing a naturally occurring hormone precursor in the human body, the deficiencies of which are characteristic of menopause. The indicated preparation helped me a lot. The bothersome symptoms of menopause have subsided, allowing me to work normally with horses. Unfortunately, I did not thoroughly check the composition of this supplement and whether the dose taken would cause the hormone level to be exceeded. My fault."
Milczarek's case will be heard in front of the FEI Tribunal and said that what she took "was not intended to increase my physical or other capabilities. He did not give me any advantage over the others competing with me in the arena. He just made it possible for me to live normally."
Agusti Elias
His suspension commenced on 1 September 2022.
Agusti Elias told Eurodressage that his case is still under investigation and he cannot comment further on the matter.
Clean Sport, also for Humans
As a signatory of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Code, the FEI has developed Anti-Doping Rules for Human Athletes (ADRHA) which comply with the code as well as with WADA’s International Standards.
In the FEI's ADRHA, specific requirements apply to "International-Level Athletes". For dressage this counts for athletes ranked in the Top 300 of the FEI World Rider Ranking.
According to the WADA Prohibited List, anabolic agents (AAS) are prohibited. In addition, they mention that clenbuterol is "an anabolic agent that is prohibited at all times (i.e., both in- and out-of-competition). There is no threshold under which this substance is not prohibited." Wada also mentions that, "It is possible that under certain circumstances the presence of a low level of clenbuterol in an athlete sample can be the result of food contamination. In this regard a Stakeholder Notice on Meat Contamination was published by WADA on 1 June 2019. However, each case is different and all aspects and context of the case need to be taken into account during the results management process. According to the World Anti-Doping Code, the athlete has the opportunity to explain how a prohibited substance entered his/her body during the results management and/or the hearing phase of their case."
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