Hello SWA Members,
Recently the SWA was informed by the Canadian Weightlifting Federation and Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport (CCES) that SWA athlete Zeyad El-Karsh was sanctioned for an out-of-competition anti-doping rule violation that occurred on April 9, 2022. Please see the CCES Press Release linked below for more information regarding this violation and sanction.
While the SWA does not directly enforce doping sanctions or testing, I want to take this opportunity to provide links to educational resources through the CCES website and reinforce our commitment to promoting clean and safe sport in Saskatchewan and Weightlifting more broadly. Doping has been a big problem for Weightlifting internationally and is one of the main reasons we have seen reductions in the number of medals at the Olympic Games and the risk of losing Olympic status for future events. Whether you are competing at a high level or not, I encourage you to familiarize yourself with the CCES Banned Substances and Methods list for in-competition and out-of-competition testing. It is not common to be tested at our local competitions, but all of our national qualifying meets are subject to doping control. You may also be subject to random out-of-competition testing as you rise to the National level. If you are taking a banned substance for therapeutic purposes, you may be eligible for a Therapeutic Use Exemption. The CCES also has many other free online educational resources for learning more about this topic.
Lastly, it is crucial for you to know that as a member of the SWA and a CCES sport like Weightlifting, you are not allowed to train with or be trained by individuals that are serving doping sanctions. For specific questions about what you can and cannot do, we recommend you contact CCES directly for more information. We can help guide you in the right direction, but we cannot give comprehensive answers in this area. With that said, please do not hesitate to reach out to Dwayne or myself, and we will do our best to help you or find someone who can.
Thank you,
Lucas King, 2Lt. BKIN. MBA
President, Saskatchewan Weightlifting Association
Media Release
Weightlifting Athlete Suspended for the Presence of SARM LGD-4033 and Tamoxifen
Ottawa – June 27, 2022 – The Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport (CCES) announced today that Zeyad El-Karsh, a weightlifting athlete, received a three-year sanction for an anti-doping rule violation. The athlete’s urine sample, collected during out-of-competition doping control on April 9, 2022, revealed the presence of SARM LGD-4033 (a prohibited anabolic agent) and tamoxifen (a prohibited hormone and metabolic modulator).
Continue reading: https://cces.ca/news/weightlifting-athlete-suspended-presence-sarm-lgd-4033-and-tamoxifen