Powerlifting case emphasises danger of supplements

Powerlifting case emphasises danger of supplements for athletes

A New Zealand powerlifting champion will be stripped of his national title after testing positive for a banned substance at the New Zealand Powerlifting Championships in August.

The New Zealand Sports Tribunal today released its decision to ban Mendrado Catoto for 12 months after the powerlifter used a ‘pre-workout’ supplement which contained a prohibited substance.

Mr Catoto tested positive for methylhexanemine, although this was not listed on the label of ingredients on the supplement packaging and is illegal in New Zealand.

DFSNZ Chief Executive Graeme Steel says the decision sends a clear message to athletes and support personnel that they must be aware of their responsibilities to compete cleanly and be cautious when using supplements.

The decision stated that Mr Catoto relied solely upon the advice of the retailer to endorse a new product he had not used before and that he failed to make any further inquiry.

“There are certain steps Mr Catoto should have taken to check the risk factor of the ‘pre-workout’ supplement ‘Dust 2’,” Mr Steel says.

“It’s simply not enough to rely on supplement sellers for advice and athletes must do more if they are to avoid traps such as the one set by the manufacturer of this product. Through all our communications we emphasise that supplements, especially ‘pre-workout’ supplements, are at very high risk of containing prohibited substances. The label doesn’t always provide an accurate or honest description of what the supplements actually contain,” he says.

In DFSNZ’s view, the significant risk should have been obvious given the supplement label claimed to “enhance athletic performance”, and give “shredded muscle pumps”, and “explosive strength and power”.

Mr Catoto’s 12 month ban will be backdated to start on the date of the sample collection on August 6, 2016.

You can read the full decision of the NZ Sports Tribunal’s decision on Mr Mendrado Catoto here.

ENDS

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