Swiss perspectives in 10 languages

Swiss sprinter banned for four years for steroid use

Alex Wilson
Alex Wilson blamed the positive result on contaminated meat he ate in Las Vegas Keystone / Urs Flueeler

Swiss sprinter Alex Wilson was banned for four years on Tuesday after an anti-doping tribunal judged he intentionally used an anabolic steroid.

The case flared up at the Tokyo Olympics last July when judges at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Lausanne reinstated Wilson’s provisional suspension days before he was due to compete in the men’s 100 and 200 metres events. He holds the Swiss records over both distances.

Wilson, 31, the 200-metre bronze medallist at the 2018 European Championships, tested positive for the steroid trenbolone in an out-of-competition sample taken in March 2021.

He was allowed to continue competing ahead of the Tokyo Games after blaming contaminated meat he ate in Las Vegas, the Swiss Olympic committee saidExternal link in announcing the latest ruling of its tribunal.

Wilson’s provisional ban during a disciplinary investigation was reinstated in Tokyo after the World Anti-Doping Agency and World Athletics intervened with CAS.

The Swiss Olympic tribunal has now ruled that Wilson intended to use doping and imposed a ban that runs to April 2025. In addition, he must pay a fine and court costs totalling CHF13,750 ($14,400). He has 21 days to appeal against the verdict at the CAS.

More

In compliance with the JTI standards

More: SWI swissinfo.ch certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative

You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here. Please join us!

If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR