Botswana female runner banned for four years

GABORONE, Oct. 11 — An Independent Disciplinary Tribunal chaired by Jeffrey Benz on Thursday slapped Botswana’s 400-meter runner Lydia Jele with a 4-year ban for doping.
Jele was provisionally suspended late last year from athletics because her sample was found to contain banned substances.
A panel of three, which comprised of Benz, Christopher Quinlan and Anik Sax (medic) concluded that the analysis of the sample showed the presence of a metabolite of metandienone, which is prohibited under Section 1.1.a of World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) 2017 Prohibited List.
The panel said it is each athlete’s personal duty to ensure that no prohibited substance enters their body.
Jele had submitted her affidavit stating that in Sept. 2017, she had commenced her off-season, which comprised of track and gym training.
She said she was training with her husband at the gym and she used his water bottle when she had forgotten her own bottle.
She said her husband, who is working at the gym, only admitted that he had been taking a Dianabol after she had tested positive.
However, the panel said the principal basis for the athlete explanation of how the substance entered her system in reality, based on exclusively on the word of athlete and her husband.
“Explanations in particular contamination and spiking scenarios or scenarios whereas here it is claimed her husband deliberately mixed solution with a prohibited substances – that are based solely on the word of an accused and her entourage must be approached with caution,” said the judgment.
Kenneth Kikwe, Botswana Athletics Association vice president confirmed that Jele was banned for 4 years.
He said it was a drawback to Botswana athletics given that they had high hopes that she would take the reigns from Amantle Montsho in future.
He said they had expected that she would do something better at the World Championships in Doha next year, looking at the times she was recording before she was provisionally suspended.
According to Article 13.2.4 of the IAAF Anti-Doping Rules, the athlete, the IAAF, the Botswana National Olympic Committee in the absence of a National Anti-Doping Organization and WADA each has a right of appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport within 30 days.