Equestrian Athlete Suspended for the Presence of D-Amfetamine

Ottawa – The Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport (CCES) announced today that Ben Asselin, an equestrian athlete, received a 14-month sanction for an anti-doping rule violation. The athlete’s urine sample, collected during an in-competition sample collection session on June 18, 2022, revealed the presence of d-amfetamine, a prohibited stimulant.

In response to the CCES’s notification of the adverse analytical finding, the athlete requested a hearing to determine the violation and whether the proposed sanction period should be eliminated or reduced. On June 16, 2023, Arbitrator Robert P. Armstrong confirmed the violation, and reduced the sanction to 14 months on the basis of his finding that Mr. Asselin was not significantly at fault or significantly negligent in connection with the adverse analytical finding. Because the athlete had accepted a voluntary provisional suspension on August 15, 2022, the sanction terminates on October 14, 2023.

During the sanction period, the athlete is ineligible to participate in any capacity with any sport signatory to the Canadian Anti-Doping Program (CADP), including training with teammates.

The full decision can be found at www.crdsc-sdrcc.ca.

Thursday, 20 July 2023