21 unsuccessful attempts to dope test Irish cyclists

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Irish cyclists were among the most dope-tested Irish athletes, with only those from a couple of much bigger sports tested more often (Photo: Longfin Media)

Cycling was one of the most dope-tested Irish sports – very close behind athletics and rugby – last year. There were no positive test results returned in any Irish sport during the 12-month period.

However, there were 21 occasions when dope testers tried to test Irish cyclists during the year and were not successful because they could not locate the riders they were seeking.

Those unsuccessful efforts peaked in the third quarter of the year, when there were 10 unsuccessful dope test efforts in cycling, the highest in any sport in any quarter of the year.

The number of unsuccessful attempts in cycling in 2022 was the highest of any sport, equal with athletics, where 21 unsuccessful attempts were also recorded. There were 12 unsuccessful attempts to test cyclists the previous year, 2021.

Under the ‘whereabouts’ system for dope testing in sport, an athlete must maintain a record of times and locations when they will be available, in a one-hour window, to be tested each day.

Failure to find an athlete for testing within that self-declared one-hour window counts as a “missed test”. However, when testers are trying to find an athlete for testing outside the one-hour window and cannot locate them, that counts as an “unsuccessful attempt”.

In cycling, missing three tests within 12 months is a serious violation that can result in a ban from racing of up to four years. However, an “unsuccessful attempt” does not count as a missed test because it involves a more speculative effort by testers to find an athlete, who may not be locatable for very benign reasons.

The latest dope testing figures, across all Irish sports, have been set out in Sport Ireland’s annual anti doping report for 2022.

“Record-high testing figures, no anti-doping violations being reported, and increased engagement with the educational and research resources available all reflect on the significant work being carried out,” said Sport Ireland chief executive Dr Úna May.

“And we would like to acknowledge the effort that has gone in by the sector at all levels to deliver this. It is clear that this education and awareness is the key to the programme’s continued progress and success.”

There was also one “filing failure” in 2022 by an Irish cyclist. A filing failure is a failure by an athlete “to make an accurate and complete ‘whereabouts filing’ that enables an athlete to be located for testing”, according to Sport Ireland.

In total, 218 dope tests were carried out in 2022 on Athletics Ireland members, more than any other sport. Rugby was next, with 195 tests, and then cycling, with 185. and Gaelic Games and rowing, both with 140 tests.