Serge Despres cannot hide his dismay over the suspension that was ruled by the Canadian Centr for Ethics in Sports for having detected nandrolone in his urine during a routine blood test in 2008. The bobsleigh pilot who competed in Turin, Italy in the 2006 Winter Olympics said the decision was unfair and he felt that the sports officials did some sort of power trip to let him know who is in charge. In defense he said that the steroid that was found in his system was not strong enough to make any significant improvements in his performance.
The suspension has jeopardized his career and his reputation has been damaged. After being hailed as the No. 2 pilot in Canada, his chances of being part of the national team to compete in the 2010 Olympics is dim.
From Times and Transcripts:
“It’s been pretty tough and pretty frustrating. There’s just been so many barriers since last winter,” Despres, 31, said in an interview this week from Calgary, where he works full-time now as a mechanical engineer and trains by himself in his spare time.
“I don’t see much purpose in me being out here if I’m not bobsledding.”
What has Despres so disappointed is the miniscule amount of steroid in his system was only 0.9 nanogram — basically a particle of dust — over the allowed limit of nandrolone.
“I have never knowingly taken performance enhancing drugs or banned substances … I am not a cheater,” Despres said at a news conference after the suspension was handed out. “My case is possibly the lowest recorded positive test in the history of sports drug testing.”
At present, Despres has begun a campaign on steroids campaign by talking about the risks of taking performance enhancing drugs and accidental doping.
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