Sport Ireland and Motorcycling Ireland Anounce Anti-Doping Violation

Motorcycling Ireland and Sport Ireland jointly announce that the Irish Sport Anti-Doping Disciplinary Panel ("the Panel") determined that rider Mr. Ross Fanning has committed an anti-doping rule violation.

Mr. Ross Fanning has been sanctioned by the imposition on him of a period of ineligibility of 4 years commencing on the 31st July 2016, the date on which the sample was taken.  In a doping control test immediately following his participation at a Motocross event on 31st July 2016, he provided a sample which tested positive for the presence of a prohibited substance, cocaine.  Mr. Fanning’s results from the 31st of July 2016 are also disqualified.

Mr. Fanning made no representations to Sport Ireland in his own defence and did not engage with the process, attend the hearing or advance any mitigation to the Panel.

As regards the duration of sanction, the Panel held that:

"In the absence of any evidence or submissions by or on behalf of Mr. Fanning and on the basis of the evidence submitted by Sport Ireland, the Panel finds that there was an [Anti-Doping Rule Violation] by Mr. Fanning. No evidence in mitigation has been advanced by or on Mr. Fanning's behalf. In all the circumstances, the Panel considers that the appropriate sanction is a period of ineligibility of 4 years…"

The hearing was held under Article 8 (Disciplinary Process) of the Irish Anti-Doping Rules and this announcement is made pursuant to Article 15 (Public Disclosure) of the Rules.

The full Decision of the Disciplinary Panel is available at http://www.sportireland.ie/Anti-Doping/Current-Sanctions/.

The Irish Anti-Doping Rules can be found at http://www.sportireland.ie/Anti-Doping/2015-Anti-Doping-Rules/2015-Anti-Doping-Rules.pdf.