William Ohuaregbe banned for four years after UKAD appeal

Via UKAD: Basketball player William Ohuaregbe, who was registered with London City Royals, has been suspended from all sport for a period of four years following an Anti-Doping Rule Violation (ADRV).

Mr Ohuaregbe provided a Sample In-Competition on 10 March 2019, following the British Basketball League Trophy Final between the London City Royals and London Lions.

Analysis of Mr Ohuaregbe’s Sample returned an Adverse Analytical Finding for the Prohibited Substance ostarine. Ostarine is classified as an ‘Other Anabolic Agent’ under section S1.2 of the World Anti-Doping Agency 2019 Prohibited List. It is a non-Specified substance and is prohibited at all times.

Mr Ohuaregbe was charged with violating Anti-Doping Rule 2.1 – “Presence of a Prohibited Substance or its Metabolites or Markers” and requested a hearing before the National Anti-Doping Panel (NADP).

At first instance, the NADP heard Mr Ohuaregbe’s case and concluded that he had ingested a contaminated supplement. The NADP found that his ADRV was not “intentional” as that term is defined in the Anti-Doping Rules and imposed a two-year suspension.

UKAD appealed the first instance decision of the NADP to the NADP Appeal Panel, on the basis that the NADP had erred in its decision at first instance. The NADP Appeal Panel upheld UKAD’s appeal and imposed a four-year suspension on Mr Ohuaregbe, effective from 10 March 2019.

UK Anti-Doping’s Chief Executive, Nicole Sapstead said: “We are still seeing an increase in the number of instances where an athlete falls foul of anti-doping regulations, claiming contamination with a prohibited substance, of a supplement they have ingested. 

“It’s important for athletes at all levels to, where possible, take a food-first approach to nutrition and then if they still feel they require supplements, to seek advice from a dietician or medical professional. We cannot reiterate this message enough.

“All supplements should be double checked on Informed Sport prior to use, but it’s important to note this only provides risk minimisation, it is not a guarantee that the product is free from prohibited substances. If in any doubt, it is simply not worth the risk.”

The period of ineligibility shall apply from the 10 March 2019 to 9 March 2023 inclusive.

Joint BBF and BBL statement

The British Basketball Federation and the British Basketball League take a united and unequivocal stance against the use of all prohibited substances.

We work, and will continue to work, closely with UK Anti-Doping in enforcing our zero-tolerance position on these matters.

Further advice

Players must be fully aware of the risks to their career if they chose to use a supplement product.

The US Antidoping Council (and UKAD) has found that enobosarm, also known as ostarine, is often contained within dietary supplements despite the fact it is not approved for human use or consumption in the UK, US or in any other country. Its use is illegal and therefore will not be listed as an ingredient.

We would like to remind all players there are no guarantees any supplement product is free from banned substances.

See here for UKAD’s guidance on how you can reduce doping risks from supplement use.

Comprehensive information and anti-doping advice is also available from FIBA here.

If a player has concerns, they should contact their home country association for assistance.