Colvert vows to ‘go down any route’ to clear his name

Steven Colvert has declared he will "go down any route" to clear his name after his A sample tested positive for EPO, even if it involves having to take it to court which would incur costs of a six-figure sum.

“I’ll go down any route,” said Colvert yesterday.

“I’m going to seek advice on things. I’m 100% I’ve never taken any performance enhancing drugs,” continued the Mullingar man who will look to get his B sampletested.

“I have to send a letter now to declare my innocence and get the B sample tested. If that fails then I’ll have to bring it to CAS [Court of Arbitration for Sport]. Failing that I’ll have to bring it into the courts.”

Going to court has proven to be a successful but expensive route for some athletes to clear their name, including Irish 1500m runner Gareth Turnbull who cleared his name after a test on the September 30, 2005 showed up higher than normal levels of testosterone.

Turnbull’s test took place at the end of a holiday and the result proved ill-founded and he was subsequently exonerated with the ruling that the elevated testosterone had been created naturally.

Close to £100,000 was spent on legal fees in Turnbull’s defence and upon the hearing of the result in 2006 he questioned the process taken by the Irish Sports Council and was disappointed with lack of support from Athletics Ireland from an athlete welfare perspective.

In terms of athlete welfare, Athletics Ireland refused to comment when asked on any avenue available for Colvert or a funded athlete if they are found to have a positive test.

The Crusaders athlete said: “I was notified how they [Athletics Ireland] are going to act. They told me to keep the head up but no advice on how to deal with it.”

When a test result comes back with adverse analytical findings, the regular procedure is to issue a registered post letter notifying the athlete of the findings without consultation with the athlete, governing body or doctor. This can prove problematic in cases of Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE) forms and athletes have been notified of an adverse finding through no fault of their own.

Colvert’s case is different in that he has been found to have a positive finding for EPO and there is no TUE form for that. He will now have to go through an arduous process if he is to clear his name. The testing of the B sample can take a three-week turnaround and if that is found to be positive he will have to bring the case to CAS and finally the courts.

Colvert said in an exclusive interview with the Irish Examiner yesterday that the only supplements he has taken are a generic multi-vitamin called Activ-Max and an iron supplement called Galfer during his exam period when he failed the test. He will have to get those supplements tested if the B sample is found to have EPO.

British 800m athlete Diane Mohdal was successful in overruling her positive test for testosterone in 1994 when her legal team proved that flaws in the testing procedure caused a heightened reading. The sample was left on a table top at room temperature for three hours which altered the PH of the sample to such an extent that it contaminated the sample.

Meanwhile, Ireland’s fastest sprinter Paul Hession has confirmed his retirement. Hession, Irish record holder for the 100m (10.18) and 200m (20.30), announced his official retirement from competitive sprinting yesterday after graduating as a doctor from NUI Galway.

Hession won silver and bronze medals at the World University Games of 2003 and 2005 and brought Irish sprinting into world class territory.

He missed out on making the final of the 200m at the Beijing Olympics in 2008 by one place.

Nonetheless, his regular appearances on the European circuit and at global competitions has inspired a young generation of Irish sprinters.