Related case:
World Athletics 2023 WA vs Joel Maina Mwangi
July 27, 2023
In November 2021 the Commission of the Italian Ministry of Health reported an anti-doping rule violation against the Kenyan Athlete Joel Maina Mwangi after he tested positive for the prohibited substances 9-norandrosterone and 19-noretiocholanolone Nandrolone.
The Athlete admitted the violation and on 25 January 2022 he accepted a 2 year period of ineligibility rendered by the Procura Nazionale Antidoping (PNA), the Italian National Anti-Doping Prosecutor Office.
Hereafter in January 2022 the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) of World Athletics was notified about the Italian Decision. After review the AIU deemed that it could not recognise this Italian Decision as an anti-doping rule violation under the WADA Code because the Commission of the Italian Ministry of Health was not an Code Signatory.
Nevertheless the AIU deemed that the Athlete had committed an anti-doping rule violation because the Athlete was subjected to the applicable Rules, he had admitted the violation and the analysis of his sample was conducted in the WADA accredited Roma Laboratory in accordance with the ISTI.
After notification in June 2022 the Athlete gave a prompt admission, waived his right for a hearing, accepted a provisional suspension and the sanction proposed by the AIU.
The Athlete explained with medical evidence that he suffered from an injury and that the doctor in the hospital had injected him Deca-Durabolin as treatment whereas he was unaware that this medication contained prohibited substances.
The AIU finds that the Athlete failed to demonstrate that the violation was not intentional and considers that the Athlete had signed and submitted the Admission of Anti-Doping Rule Violation and Acceptance of Consequences Form in order to receive a 1 year reduction from the AIU.
Therefore World Athletics decides on 29 June 2022 to impose a 3 year period of ineligibility on the Athlete, starting on the date of the provisional suspension, i.e. 23 June 2022.