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Although cases of contamination are rare, several anti-doping experts and lawyers have recommended that athletes avoid one-night stands because of the risk of testing positive in a subsequent doping test.
During a conference, Mark Hovell, sports lawyer and independent party in the case of Jannik Sinner, recalled the case of the French tennis player Richard Gasquet, who was acquitted after testing positive for cocaine after proving that the substance reached his body after kissing a woman in a bar.
Also Travis Tygart, head of the United States Anti-Doping Agency and a speaker at this conference, said he agreed with Hovell's assessment and cited the case of American boxer Virginia Fuchs in 2020, who also tested positive and proved that it was due to having unprotected sex.
Based on the cases we have seen, you have to be careful who you kiss and who you have an intimate relationship with
"I think, based on the cases we've seen, you have to be careful who you kiss and who you have an intimate relationship with," Tygart said at the 'Sports Resolutions' conference. The head of USADA also called on the World Anti-Doping Agency to raise the minimum reporting level for substances that could be sexually transmitted, such as clostabal and ostarine, so that if anti-doping laboratories find traces in an athlete's sample, they are not at risk of a sanction.
I'm concerned about how many of the intentional cheaters get away with it, because we spend a lot of time and resources on cases that end up being a kiss in a bar
Tygart insisted that "the responsibility always lies with the athletes, but we as anti-doping organisations must take some of that responsibility. I'm concerned about how many of the intentional cheats get away with it, because we spend so much time and resources on cases that end up being a kiss in a bar".