Rugby league player Jamie Dallimore receives three-year ban
Rugby league player Jamie Dallimore has been banned from all sport for three years following a first Anti-Doping Rule Violation (ADRV) for the presence of a banned substance in his urine Sample.
On 18 October 2021, UK Anti-Doping (UKAD) collected an Out-of-Competition urine Sample from Mr Dallimore at his home address. Analysis of Mr Dallimore’s urine Sample returned an Atypical Finding (ATF) for clenbuterol, with the estimated concentration being approximately 1 ng/mL.
Clenbuterol is an anabolic agent used to gain muscle and burn fat. The drug is banned at all times under the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Prohibited List. As of June 2019, WADA accredited laboratories are permitted to report a finding of clenbuterol at a concentration below 5 ng/mL as an ATF as opposed to an Adverse Analytical Finding (AAF). This is to allow for an investigation into potential meat contamination scenarios that may arise as set out in WADA’s Stakeholder Notice regarding meat contamination cases.
In view of this, UKAD wrote to Mr Dallimore on 2 December 2021 to enquire about the circumstances of his ATF. On the same date, Mr Dallimore responded to UKAD and explained that the ATF was likely the result of him having taken a tablet given to him by a friend to help boost energy and burn fat whilst playing amateur football on 14 October 2021. Therefore, as UKAD’s investigation did not lead it to conclude that Mr Dallimore’s ATF was the result of him having ingested contaminated meat, Mr Dallimore’s ATF was brought forward as an AAF.
On 16 December 2021 UKAD notified Mr Dallimore that he may have committed ADRVs contrary to the UK Anti-Doping Rules (ADR) due to the detection of clenbuterol detected in his Sample. Mr Dallimore was also Provisionally Suspended from sport from this date.
On 17 January 2022, UKAD formally charged Mr Dallimore with ADRVs pursuant to ADR Article 2.1 (Presence of a Prohibited Substance or its Metabolites or Markers in an Athlete’s Sample) and ADR Article 2.2 (Use or Attempted Use by an Athlete of a Prohibited Substance).
On 18 January 2022, the day after he received UKAD’s Charge Letter, Mr Dallimore responded and indicated he accepted the charges and the asserted four-year sanction. In view of this early admission and acceptance of sanction, under the ADR Mr Dallimore received a one-year reduction to his ban, meaning the ban imposed in his case stands at three years.
Mr Dallimore’s three-year period of Ineligibility is deemed to have commenced on 16 December 2021 (the date of his Provisional Suspension) and will therefore expire at midnight on 15 December 2024.
Speaking on the case, UKAD Director of Operations, Pat Myhill said: “Athletes are solely responsible for what goes into their bodies. They should never assume that something is safe to take without checking it first.
“There are potentially damaging side effects to using anabolic agents, such as clenbuterol, not just to an athlete’s career and their sport but to their own health. It is simply not worth the risk. We encourage all athletes to take the time to check what they are taking and to learn more about the rules and their responsibilities via our educational resources on the UKAD website or the 100% me app.”
