ASADA relied on 'vague' accountsChip Le Grand
The Australian
December 27, 2013ANTI-DOPING authorities are treating as "admissions" vague recollections from Essendon footballers about being injected with a peptide that may or may not be banned for use in sport.
The Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority claims 11 Essendon players admitted to using a form of Thymosin throughout the 2012 season.
The previously unpublished details of those admissions, contained within tiny print at the end of ASADA's 400-page interim report, reveal the weakness of the case against the club.
All Essendon players interviewed by ASADA were asked whether they were given Thymosin, a substance ASADA suspects was Thymosin Beta-4 but which Essendon and its former sports scientist Stephen Dank maintain was Thymomodulin.
Thymosin Beta 4 and Thymomodulin are both peptides extracted from the thymus gland of cows and referred to as Thymosin. Thymosin Beta 4 is banned by the World Anti-Doping Authority, Thymomodulin is not.
While a handful of Essendon players recalled being given a substance referred to as Thymosin by Dank, others were more vague. One senior player listed under an appendix of the report titled "admitted use of substances by players and officials" told investigators: "Thymosin is ringing a bell."
Another said: "Like, I've definitely heard the word but, you know, I wouldn't be able to tell you if I was injected with it or not."
A third player included in the appendix said: "I'm not sure but it is just a familiar name to me. I'm not sure if I did or not but."
According to the ASADA report, 11 Essendon players admitted to being injected with Thymosin and seven with the contentious peptide AOD9604.
A further 12 players admitted to being treated with a topical cream containing AOD9604.
ASADA assured Essendon and its players during its joint investigation with the AFL that players would not face doping charges as a result of taking AOD9604, a substance not included on the WADA's list of banned substances.
Since making available its interim report to the AFL on August 2, ASADA has conducted further interviews in a bid to clarify what form of Thymosin Essendon players were given. ASADA's case that Essendon players were given Thymosin Beta 4 is based on business dealings and communications between Dank, pharmacist Nima Alavi and Shane Charter, an importer and supplier of peptides.
It is understood that ASADA investigators have used their newly acquired coercive powers to compel evidence from Alavi, a Toorak-based compounding pharmacist who supplied Dank with peptides while he worked at Essendon. Alavi previously declined to testify before ASADA.
Charter, previously convicted of importing pseudoephedrine, a precursor to methamphetamine production, has been described as ASADA's star witness after providing detailed testimony to the anti-doping body. Charter admitted to ASADA he had no direct knowledge of Essendon's use of supplements in 2012.
"Although Mr Charter admitted procuring WADA prohibited substances from China on behalf of Mr Dank he could not positively say whether Mr Dank had administered those substances to Essendon players."
Essendon's defence -- that the form of Thymosin given to players in 2012 was Thymomodulin, an immunity booster given to infants -- is based on a spread sheet obtained from Dank's computer at Essendon. The spreadsheet, titled "2012 THYMODULIN" lists a schedule of injections given to players.
The spreadsheet, along with a picture of a bottle of Thymomodulin found in Dank's fridge at Essendon, were provided to the ASADA probe by the club. ASADA has made no attempt to interview Dank since acquiring coercive powers six months ago.
Outgoing WADA president John Fahey earlier this month said it was "only a matter of time" before Essendon players received infraction notices for doping offences. He subsequently admitted he had not read ASADA's interim report and had not been briefed on the strength of the evidence against Essendon.
Essendon president Paul Little told club members at this month's AGM that Fahey's comments were irresponsible.
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