IIHF hands two doping suspensions
by Martin Merk|09 SEP 2020
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The IIHF has suspended Ilya Altybarmakyan and Maria Tyugankina for doping violations as part of the IIHF’s doping control testing in the Kontinental Hockey League and its affiliated competitions.

The IIHF Disciplinary Board suspended 19-year-old Russian forward Ilya Altybarmakyan due to a doping violation during the 2019/2020 season while playing for SKA-1946 St. Petersburg in Russia’s top junior league MHL.

Altybarmakyan was tested after the home game on 6 February against Taifun Primorski Krai. In his sample the presence of the Cocaine metabolite Benzoylecgonine, a Prohibited Substance listed under S6.a of the 2020 WADA Prohibited List as a Non-Specified Substance (Non-Specified Stimulant), was found.

The player was informed about the adverse analytical finding and provisionally suspended on 25 March 2020. The player neither wanted a hearing nor a testing of his B-sample. The period of ineligibility for the violation of Code Article 2.1 therefore shall be four years unless the player can establish that the anti-doping rule violation was not intentional, placing the burden of proof upon the player. The IIHF Disciplinary Board was of the opinion that the submission of the players is not sufficient and does not justify a reduction of the period of ineligibility of four years. The player also has not established that he bears no fault or negligence for the ingestion of the prohibited substance.

Altybarmakyan will thus be suspended until 24 March 2024.

19-year-old Russian player Maria Tyugankina was tested on 15 January after a game of the Russian Women’s Hockey League (WHL) between her team Agidel Ufa and Tornado Moscow Region. In her sample the presence of Furosemide was found, which is listed as a prohibited substance on the 2020 WADA Prohibited List under S5. Diuretics and Masking Agents as a specified substance.

The player was notified on 26 February and didn’t play afterwards. In her explanation and in a chemical study it was explained that the adverse analytical finding was caused by a contaminated product, namely “Detox Cocktail”, which she consumed outside of the products approved by the team doctor. She admitted to the adverse analytical finding, waived her right to disciplinary proceedings including a formal hearing and accepted an eight-month period of ineligibility.

Based on the analysis of the product and the estimated concentration, the IIHF found that the player had demonstrated that the prohibited substance entered her system through the ingestion of the product, which didn’t have any indications of furosemide on the label and product description on the internet, and that the violation was not intentional.

While athletes are responsible for what they ingest and have been warned against the possibility of supplement contamination, the IIHF believed that the player was entitled to a reduction of the period of ineligibility based on with Article 7.5.1.b of the IIHF Disciplinary Code. Consequently, the IIHF deemed an eight-month period of ineligibility to be appropriate. In addition, due to the player’s timely admission, the IIHF considered it justified that the player’s period of ineligibility starts on the date of the sample collection, 15 January 2020.

The decisions may be appealed within 21 days to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.