Brazilian swimmer Cielo hearing set for next week
July 14th, 2011 by Annette GriffusAs I posted here earlier this month, Brazilian freestyler Cesar Cielo has come under suspicion for a positive doping test in May. The Brazilian swimming federation accepted Cielo’s explanation that he received a tainted supply of supplements and it was a one-time thing. FINA, the world governing body of swimming, didn’t buy the explanation and wants Cielo banned.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) will hear the case in Shanghai, site of the upcoming World Championships, before the meet begins July 24. You can read about that here.
The reason why I’m posting about a Brazilian swimmer on a Kitsap sports blog is for this reason — Cielo swims the same events as Bremerton’s Nathan Adrian. Cielo is the world’s No. 1 sprinter and is the world and Olympic champion in the 50 free. Nathan beat Cielo for the first time last year at the Pan Pacific Championships in Irvine, Calif.
If Cielo is banned — it would likely be a two-year ban that Brazil would appeal — that would be huge for Adrian in terms of the 2012 Olympics in London.
It doesn’t guarantee him a medal however. There are plenty of fast sprinters from France, Australia, Ukraine, etc… that are more than willing to try and take Cielo’s spot.
I talked to Nathan last week before he left for Gold Coast, Australia, site of Team USA’s training camp this week. Adrian said it just brings home the fact that each athlete needs to be aware of where their food comes from at all times. I certainly don’t think Nathan would want to see Cielo banned for two years. Nathan enjoys the competitiveness that comes from swimming in the sprint freestyles and wants to beat Cielo fair and square.
It also makes me wonder what USA Swimming and the USOC thinks about having world and Olympic events in China, where it routinely has issues with steroids and its livestock, steroids like Clenbuterol. Clenbuterol is on the World Anti-Doping Agency’s (WADA) list of banned substances. It is an anabolic agent that builds muscle and burns fat. A recent study by WADA found that travelers returning from China tested positive for low levels of the agent.
Athletes from other countries are routinely warned about eating out in China during competition. Some countries, like Australia, will go as far as shipping in their own food for worlds.
Scripps Interactive Newspapers Group
November 25th, 2011 at 7:29 pm
Seems like this is a bad news for Brazil.