World Triathlon announced today that Austrian triathlete Romana Slavinec has been suspended for a period of 14 months due to an anti-doping rule violation on the occasion of in-competition controls during the World Triathlon Winter Cup in Asiago, where she finished in second place, and in the course of the ÖSTM Winter Triathlon in Villach.

The athlete was found to have violated Art 2. 1 of the World Triathlon Anti-Doping Rules 2021 on the occasion of “in-competition” controls on 19 February, 2021, in the course of the World Triathlon Winter Cup in Asiago, Italy, and on 6 March, 2021, in the course of the ÖSTM Winter Triathlon in Villach. The athlete will have a period of 14 months ineligibility imposed by the ÖADR were thus confirmed, from 8 April, 2021 until 7 June, 2022.

The athlete provided samples during an in-competition control carried out on 19 FEBRUARY, 2021 during the World Triathlon Winter Cup in Asiago, Italy, as well as during an in-competition control carried out on 6 MARCH, 2021 during the Austrian National Winter Triathlon Championships in Villach, where the subsequent analysis of the A-samples revealed the presence of the substance FENOTEROL. The athlete waived the opening of the B-samples.

FENOTEROL is listed under S3 beta antagonists in WADA’s 2021 Prohibited List.
In all tests, the use of BERODUAL DAE was indicated on the doping control form. With the exception of the test on 19 February, 2021, it was also noted on all tests that a TUE was available.

The athlete failed to apply for a TUE in advance to the IF (World Triathlon) in accordance with international regulations (World Triathlon Anti-Doping Rules 2021), although she would have been obliged to do so as an International Level Athlete. At national level, the athlete could not apply for a TUE in advance because she was not a National Testing Pool Athlete. However, the retroactive application for a TUE was also rejected by the Medical Commission of NADA Austria, as it could not be clearly explained by the athlete or the physician she had consulted why the medicament Berodual DAE, which contains the prohibited substance “Fenoterol”, was prescribed and not an alternative medicine that was nevertheless permitted.

The proceedings also showed that the athlete, although she had been listed in the National Testing Pool until 2016 and had also achieved good results in other respects and had sufficient experience, had not dealt with TUE´s in any way and had not informed herself about them, which is why she must be accused of at least negligent conduct with regard to taking the prohibited medicine.

In its decision, the ÖADR found that the athlete had violated Art 2.1. of the World Triathlon Andi-Doping Rules 2021 in that she had been tested positive with the banned substance FENOTEROL during the “in-competition” tests.

Within the framework of the resulting sanctions, the ÖADR annulled the results from the competitions on Asiago and Villach, as well as all results since 19 February, 2021 until the decision of the ÖADR, including her second place at the 2021 World Triathlon Winter Championships Andorra. Starting or prize money would be disallowed and had to be refunded if necessary.

World Triathlon is concerned about athletes health and well-being when they pollute their body with drugs. World Triathlon is strongly committed to making sure that Triathlon remains a clean sport and that our athletes are competing on a level-playing field. We realize how important are both, in-competition and out-of-competition tests leading up to the Olympic Games and World Triathlon is committed to finding any athletes who do not respect the rules.