Banned British sprinter CJ Ujah cleared of deliberately taking drugs at Olympics
The British 100m sprinter CJ Ujah has been cleared of deliberately taking banned drugs by the Athletics Integrity Unit and the World Anti-Doping Agency, and will be free to return to competition next year.
Ujah led off Team GB’s men’s 4x100m relay team as they won silver at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 only to then test positive for two prohibited substances, ostarine and S-23. It led to the British team being stripped of their medals – and to Ujah facing a four-year ban.
However in a statement on Monday, the AIU confirmed that Ujah would now be banned for 22 months after a thorough investigation found in his favour. He will still have to serve a reduced ban as, under Wada’s strict liability rules, an athlete is still responsible for everything they put in the body.
“The AIU and Wada were satisfied that the sprinter’s anti-doping rule violation was not intentional as a result of his ingestion of a contaminated supplement and the applicable twoyear period of ineligibility was reduced by two months on account of how promptly he admitted the violation,” the AIU said in a statement.
The decision means that Ujah will be free to return to action on 5 June 2023, giving him two months to prove his fitness before potentially returning to the British team in time for next year’s world championships in Hungary.
However the AIU head Brett Clothier warned athletes to understand the consequences that could arise from taking supplements – and to pay better attention to the relevant rules and athlete education programmes.
“In this case, after a thorough examination of the facts, we were satisfied that Mr Ujah did indeed ingest a contaminated supplement, but he was unable to demonstrate that he was entitled to any reduction in the applicable period of ineligibility based on his level of fault,” said Clothier.
“Taking supplements is risky for athletes as they can be contaminated or even adulterated with prohibited substances. Athletes owe it to their fellow competitors to be 100 per cent certain before putting anything into their body. If there’s the slightest doubt, leave it out.”
The British relay team automatically forfeited their Olympic silver medals in February, after Ujah did not challenge his adverse analytical finding at a Court of Arbitration for Sport hearing.
The 28-year-old is yet to comment on the decision but in a statement earlier this year, he said: “I would like to make it clear that I unknowingly consumed a contaminated supplement and this was the reason why an anti-doping rule violation occurred at the Tokyo Olympic Games.“I sincerely regret that this has inadvertently led to the forfeiture of the men’s 4x100m relay team’s Olympic silver medals. I would like to apologise to my teammates, their families and support teams for the impact which this has had on them. That is something I will regret for the rest of my life.”