Accused tested negative for drugs at London games

Oscar Pistorius was drug-tested before and during last year’s Paralympic Games in London, the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) said, adding that on both occasions the results were negative.

“Oscar was tested twice in London, first on 25 Aug in an out-of-comp (competition) test and then also 8 Sept in an in-comp test. Both negative,” said IPC director of media and communications Craig Spence.

“He’ll also have been tested by IAAF (International Association of Athletics Federations) and South African anti-doping agency last year.”

The details came after police investigating the death of Reeva Steenkamp at Pistorius’s home told a court in Pretoria that they found testosterone and needles in his bedroom.

The first drug test in London was four days before the Games opened while the second would have been after he retained his T44 400m title for single and double below-the-knee amputee sprinters on the last full day of competition.

But he appears not to have been tested after winning silver in the 200m race or after coming fourth in the 100m event.

Drug-testing came under the spotlight at the Paralympics after organisers said that unlike at the Olympics that preceded it, they would not drug-test every medal winner.

The president of the IPC’s anti-doping committee, Jose Antonio Pascual, said at the time that analysing samples from every medallist would be impossible.

Pascual insisted, though, that at least one medallist would be tested, alongside random testing of other competitors, which he maintained was a strong enough deterrent.

The IPC has its own anti-doping code, which adheres to the general principles of the World Anti-Doping Code.

The list of prohibited substances is the same as for non-disabled athletes.

Pistorius’s lawyer, Barry Roux, told the court that the substance found was a herbal remedy and he was authorised to use it.

The IPC was asked whether Pistorius had registered for an exemption of any substance for therapeutic use. The organisation said: “That is confidential information that we cannot release.”

The International Olympic Committee said they did not test Pistorius during the Olympics and did not have samples.

“The IOC conducted more than 5,000 tests in London, including all top five finishers and two other athletes selected at random from each event,” they said in a statement.

“Oscar Pistorius finished 23rd in the 400m and 8th in the 4x400m with team South Africa at London 2012.”