U.S. Cycling Athlete Frank Travieso Accepts Sanction for Anti-Doping Rule Violation
USADA announced today that Frank Travieso, of Athens, Ga., an athlete in the sport of cycling, has accepted a six-month period of ineligibility for an anti-doping rule violation after testing positive for a prohibited substance.
Travieso, 43, tested positive for ephedrine at a concentration greater than the threshold of 10 micrograms per milliliter as the result of a urine sample collected at the Bommarito Audi Gateway Cup on September 3, 2023. Ephedrine is a Specified Substance in the class of Stimulants and is prohibited in-competition under the USADA Protocol for Olympic and Paralympic Movement Testing, the United States Olympic Committee National Anti-Doping Policies, and International Cycling Union (UCI) Anti-Doping Rules, all of which have adopted the World Anti-Doping Code and the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Prohibited List.
After investigating, USADA determined that Travieso was using a medication containing ephedrine, which he obtained over the counter at the direction of a physician, but he lacked a valid Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE). Under the USADA TUE Policy, an athlete has the responsibility to demonstrate that the therapeutic need to treat an acute or chronic medical condition satisfies the strict criteria within the WADA International Standard for TUEs (ISTUE). Upon review, Travieso did not qualify for a retroactive TUE.
Travieso’s six-month period of ineligibility began on September 21, 2023, the date his provisional suspension was imposed. In addition, Travieso has been disqualified from all competitive results obtained on and subsequent to September 3, 2023, the date his positive sample was collected, including forfeiture of any medals, points and prizes.
