Pawan Kumar
Listen the Article:
Peter Bol, an Australian Olympian, has been suspended temporarily because he failed a drug test outside of competition.
Bol tested positive for the banned substance EPO at the Tokyo Olympics, where he came in fourth place in the 800 metres.
Bol has been banned since January 10, which means he can’t train or compete at any level.
In a statement posted to his Twitter account, he said that he was not guilty.
“It is very important to say with absolute certainty that I am innocent and have not done what I am accused of doing,” the statement said.
Australian athlete Peter Bol has tested positive for a performance-enhancing substance. Bol vehemently denies ever researching, purchasing or administering any prohibited substance.#TheProjectTV pic.twitter.com/v60Iu5hYum
— The Project (@theprojecttv) January 20, 2023
“I’m asking everyone in Australia to trust me and let the process work itself out.”
Bol said he was “totally shocked” when he found out last week that the synthetic EPO I in his urine sample from October was positive.
“To be clear, I have never in my life bought, researched, owned, given, or used synthetic EPO or any other illegal drug.
“My hopes and dreams for my career are literally on the line for the next few weeks.”
Peter Bromley, who is in charge of Athletics Australia, said that the test result was “extremely concerning.”
“Procedural fairness and the investigation limit how much we can say, and at this point it would be wrong for Athletics Australia or anyone else to guess about the details or try to guess what the outcome will be,” he said.
“But what we can say is that this negative analytical finding came as a surprise and was very worrying. We will support Sport Integrity Australia, which is leading the investigation into the matter.
“Right now, our main concern is that the right steps are taken and that they aren’t messed up by inappropriate speculation.
“The welfare of our athletes is still very important during this process, and we will continue to do everything we can to help Peter and all the other athletes, coaches, and support staff who need it.”
Bol’s manager, James Templeton, told the ABC that he and the runner would not say anything else, and Bol’s coach, Justin Rinaldi, defended him on Twitter.
“I know for sure that Pete has never even thought about taking a drug to improve his performance, let alone injected himself with one,” he wrote.
Australian Peter Bol provisionally suspended after failing an out of competition test. Traces of synthetic EPO were found in his sample pic.twitter.com/k5yzd0Ygl7
— James Wokabi (@JWokabi) January 20, 2023
“We’ve always been open and honest about our training, and we’ll keep doing that. We can only trust the process and tell the truth.
Bol, the Young Australian of the Year for Western Australia, was supposed to be in Canberra next week for the Young Australian of the Year announcement.
The 28-year-old was born in Sudan and left with his family when he was four because of the civil war. He won over Australian fans with his brave performance at the Olympics in Tokyo, and then won silver at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham in 2022.
