Anti-Doping Rule Violation -Issued on behalf of Weightlifting Ireland and Sport Ireland

Weightlifting Ireland and Sport Ireland today jointly announced that Olusola Friday has committed two anti-doping rule violations, ‘Use of a Prohibited Substance’ and ‘refusing or failing to submit to Sample collection without a compelling justification’.

Mr Friday was tested on 30 June 2019. This test resulted in an Atypical Finding which required further investigation through the collection of further samples. As part of that investigation, seven further urine samples were collected from Mr Friday between August 2019 and February 2020.

A further attempt was made to collect a sample from Mr Friday on 1 August 2020 once COVID restrictions eased. Arising out of this attempt, Mr Friday was alleged to have violated Article 2.3 by “…without compelling justification, refusing or failing to submit to Sample collection after notification as authorised under these Rules or other anti-doping rules”.

Sport Ireland received a report from its laboratory dated 24 August 2020 identifying the Use of nandrolone by Mr Friday as follows:

The obtained results indicate, according to available scientific data, the injection of anandrolone ester with a pseudoendogenous IRMS signature (i.e. a carbon isotopic signature close to that of endogenous human urinary steroids) before 30th June 2019. This is consistent with the use of a prohibited substance nandrolone”.

Nandrolone is prohibited as one of the ‘endogenous Androgenic Anabolic Steroids and their Metabolites and isomers, when administered exogenously’ under S1.1.b of the Prohibited List.

Mr Friday was formally notified of the two anti-doping rule violations by phone on 1 September and by letter dated 1 September 2020 which was delivered by courier and email. He was required to respond by 23 September 2020, failing which he would be deemed to have admitted the anti-doping rule violations and accepted a four year ban and the other applicable sanctions. He did not do so.

Sport Ireland wrote to Mr Friday again on 29 September 2020 and sent the reasoned decision to him on 12 October 2020. No response was received to either communication.

Mr Friday has been sanctioned with a period of ineligibility of 4 years which will expire on 9 September 2024.

The reasoned decision is available at https://www.sportireland.ie/anti-doping/sanctions