The Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority (ASADA) has announced that paralympic cyclist Gregory Ball has been banned from competition for two years following a positive test result for anabolic steroids. He is also required to pay back A$27,00 in financial grants to the Australian Sports Commission.
Ball tested positive for stanozolol at the Scody Cycling Australia Track National Championships in Sydney on February 4, 2011. Stanozolol is the name of the synthetic anabolic steroid found in the popular bodybuilding drug known as Winstrol. Winstrol is available both as an oral and injectable steroid.
Ball had set a world record time of 1:21.112 in the LC1 classification 1 kilometer time trial during the 2012 National Championships. The positive Winstrol test nullifies the world record and prevents him from competing with any organization that has adopted the rules set forth by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) until March 9, 2013.
Greg Ball was currently ranked number one in the world and has consistently been one of the top paralympic cyclists of the past decade. The ban prevents Ball from competing in his fourth Olympic Games in London next year. He won the gold medal in the mixed Olympic Sprint LC1-LC3 event while competing for Australia at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games. He also represented Australia at the 2004 Athens Olympics and the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Ball suffers from a neurological disorder known as transverse myelitis that was the result of an illness. The condition is characterized by inflammation of the spinal cord that can cause axonal demyelination. Transverse myelitis disrupts the transmission of nerve signals often resulting in pain, sensory problems, muscle weakness and/or paralysis and bladder or bowel dysfunction.
Ball has been competing in the LC1 classification which is designated for cyclists with a locomotor disability. Cyclists are classified in LC 1-4 depending on the type and degree of disability so that they can compete against similarly functioning athletes.
Source:
Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority. (October 26, 2011). DOPING VIOLATION: Cyclist Gregory Ball receives two-year sports ban. Retrieved from http://www.asada.gov.au/publications/media/media_releases/asada_release_111026_Gregory_Ball_Cycling_stanozolol.pdf
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