Posted: October 25, 2004

Drugs in Sport: Canadian Athletics Athlete Commits Anti-Doping Rule Violation

(Ottawa, Ontario) – The Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport (CCES) announced today that Mike O’Toole, an athlete in the sport of Athletics, committed an anti-doping rule violation at the Canadian Junior Track and Field Championships on July 24, 2004 in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.

Mr. O’Toole’s anti-doping rule violation is a result of his urine sample returning an adverse analytical finding for cannabis, a prohibited substance on the World Anti-Doping Agency’s (WADA) 2004 Prohibited List. Cannabinoids are classified as “specified substances” on the Prohibited List. “Specified substances” are those substances which are generally available in medicinal products or are less likely to be abused as doping agents.

Under the rules of the Canadian Anti-Doping Program, when an athlete can establish that an anti-doping rule violation involving a “specified substance” was not intended to enhance his / her sport performance, the sanction may range from a reprimand and warning to a one-year period of ineligibility.

In response to the CCES’ notification of the adverse analytical finding, Mr. O’Toole waived his right to a hearing and acknowledged that he had committed an anti-doping rule violation. Mr. O’Toole has received a sanction of a warning and reprimand and no period of ineligibility. Because the sample was taken in-competition, and a violation automatically leads to disqualification of competition results, Mr. O’Toole’s results from the Canadian Junior Track and Field Championships on July 24, 2004 have been disqualified.

The CCES is an independent, national, non-profit organization. Our mission, to promote ethical conduct in all aspects of sport in Canada, is carried out through research, promotion, education, detection and deterrence, as well as through programs and partnerships with other organizations.