Colvert should not have been banned says doping expert

One of the world’s most respected anti-doping experts has said that Mullingar sprinter Steven Colvert should not have been banned in 2015 for taking the performance enhancing drug EPO.

In a documentary released last week Don Catlin, the Professor Emeritus Molecular and Medical Pharmacology UCLA, and one of the pioneers of modern drug testing in sport, reviewed Colvert’s data.

He disputed the World Anti-Doping Agency’s (WADA) finding that the Mullingar native’s samples showed a positive reading for EPO. Colvert’s samples were tested at WADA labs in Germany and Switzerland.

Catlin founded the first anti-doping laboratory in the United States and devised a number of methods used to detect performance enhancing drugs, including one for EPO. In the documentary, he says WADA’s labs are far from infallible.

“In general, they are a good lab, but this is not the first time that I have seen problems with a Cologne sample. I can show you 20 cases like this.”

At a Sports Ireland event last Thursday, the head of its anti-doping unit, Dr Una May, said that her organisation were “confident in the scientists involved” in Mr Colvert’s case.

“It was followed through very, very rigorously with a number of scientists involved in the case and we’re very satisfied that there was a case to answer,” she told the Irish Examiner.

“...Scientists are entitled to their opinions and there will always be conflicting opinions, but we’re confident, in that we had scientists from different labs who supported the fact that there was a case to answer.”

In the documentary, Colvert speaks about the toll his two-year doping ban has had on him and his family.

“It angers me and saddens me. To a certain extent I can accept the views people are going to take because they are putting their blind trust in the IWAF and WADA that they are going to do the right job. In this case it didn’t happen, and it just deeply saddens me.

“It’s taken a huge toll on my mother and grandfather particularly, it definitely aged him. He’s an older gentleman, he’s almost 90 years of age but he never looked it until 2014. My mother worried sick, constantly she was worried about me, if I would potentially self harm given the situation I was in. The circumstances surrounding it were terrible.”

Colvert, who said that doping has ruined athletics, added that he hoped something positive could come out of his story.

“Realistically if it’s the case I have to leave this sport or my career is completely done but something is learned from this, I could maybe accept that. If it’s not going to happen to someone else. I will take that brunt.”

Speaking to the Westmeath Examiner on Friday, Colvert, who is currently studying for a Master’s in business, said that he wasn’t surprised by the stance taken by Sports Ireland.

Noting that a team of independent Norwegian scientists have also disputed WADA’s findings, Mr Colvert said that Sport Ireland’s attitude shows that they are primarily interested in “covering their tracks” rather than reopening his case.

Determined to continue the fight to clear his name, Colvert says that there is one major obstacle in his way.

“It’s a slow process and at the moment it’s literally the sheer costs of it.

“If I could find someone to take on the case pro bono, I would forever be grateful and would jump at it.”