U.S. Weightlifting Athlete Kevin Jones Accepts Finding of No Fault for Anti-Doping Rule Violation
Press Release
20th September 2018
USADA announced today that Kevin Jones, of South Bend, Ind., has tested positive for a prohibited substance, which was determined to have been ingested by him without fault or negligence.
Jones, 35, tested positive for trace amounts of clenbuterol as a result of a urine sample collected in-competition on March 4, 2018, at the American Open Series 1. Clenbuterol is a non-Specified substance in the class of anabolic agents and prohibited at all times under the USADA Protocol for Olympic and Paralympic Movement Testing, the United States Olympic Committee National Anti-Doping Policies, and the International Weightlifting Federation, all of which have adopted the World Anti-Doping Code and the World Anti-Doping Agency Prohibited List.
Consistent with numerous prior reported cases globally, the issue of illicit administration of clenbuterol to animals destined for food production can result in, under specific conditions, a positive sample from an athlete. WADA has issued specific warnings about this problem in China and Mexico. To USADA’s knowledge, positive tests resulting from meat contamination issues are rare outside of those two countries. Moreover, due to strict regulatory and meat certification practices, USADA is not aware of any instances in which an athlete’s sample tested positive for clenbuterol after consumption of meat produced in the U.S.
During its investigation into the circumstances that led to the positive test, USADA gathered evidence from Jones and reviewed Jones’ whereabouts, dietary habits, and the laboratory reports demonstrating very low parts per billion concentrations of the prohibited substance in the athlete’s urine sample. USADA concluded that it was unlikely that the presence of clenbuterol in the athlete’s sample resulted from a source other than contaminated meat from Mexico.
As a result, Jones will not face a period of ineligibility for his positive test, but because the sample was collected in-competition, Jones has been disqualified from competitive results obtained on March 4, 2018, the date his sample was collected.
