Daily Combine: Free webinar plus a life ban for doping doppelganger doctor
A lifetime ban has been confirmed for a Moldovan doctor of the country's weightlifting federation who used 'doppelgängers' to replace athletes during sample collections in an attempt to dupe anti-doping authorities.
The International Testing Agency ('ITA') announced the decision earlier today that sees Dr Dorin Balmus who worked for the Moldovan Weightlifting Federation, banned for life from all activities related to a signatory of the World Anti-Doping Code.
The ban dates back to events on 8 November 2015 where Balmus was chaperoning three Moldovan weightlifters Iurie Bulat, Ghenadie Dudoglo and Artiom Pipa who were selected to provide samples for the purposes of anti-doping testing at the World Championships.
In an extraordinarily brazen attempt to cheat Balmus, subsequent investigations by the World Anti-Doping Agency's ('WADA') Intelligence and Investigation Department revealed, had the three athletes replaced by doppelgängers for the purpose of impersonating them to provide clean urine samples also known as 'urine substitution'.
The three athletes later tested positive for anti-doping rule violations ('ADRVs') and were sanctioned accordingly for both using a prohibited substance and urine substitution.
However, Balmus's role in the scandal was only bought to light, in January 2020, after the airing of the revealing documentary 'Secret Doping- the Lord of the Lifters' from German broadcaster ARD. Balmus featured in the documentary, where he admitted to been complicit in the doppelgänger scheme.
Following the documentary, in June 2021, the ITA charged Balmus for tampering and complicity under Article 8.3.3 of the International Weightlifting Federation Anti-Doping Rules.
The ITA subsequently sanctioned him under that provision finding "Mr Balmus committed these ADRVs and imposed a lifetime period of ineligibility on Mr Balmus given the nature and severity of the rule violations."
WADA has recently become vigilant to the increased practice of imposters posing for doping tests so cheating athletes can avoid detection. In October 2020, WADA said it was investigating 18 suspected cases of urine substitution amongst weightlifters in six countries and had developed methods to detect the practice.
Dr Balmus has the right to challenge the ITA sanction to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
Media Release (ITA) 16 September 2021
'State of the Sports Law Profession' Webinar now free!
Sports Law Combine is happy to announce that to launch our inaugural webinar, all those interested can now register for free. The webinar is happening next Thursday 23 September, at 5 pm (AEST).
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- Megan Comerford, Head of Legal, AFLPA
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