The decision by Panam Sports to strip Trinidad and Tobago of two of its medals won in cycling at 2019 Lima Games in Peru in July/August because of claims of a failed drug test, has been upheld by the Court of Arbitration for Sports on Tuesday in the matter involving T&T cyclist Njisane Phillip vs Panam Sports following.
According to a Panam Sports release, after confirming the decision of the Panam Sports Ad Hoc Disciplinary Commission of November 15, 2019.
In its 2019 Boxing Day release, the Panam Sports organisation indicated that the Men’s Team Sprint gold and Men’s Individual Sprint medals have been since reallocated after positive doping result. The latest development means that in the Men's Individual and Team Sprint event, the gold medal has been awarded to Colombia, the silver to Mexico and the bronze to Peru, while Nicholas Paul keeps his Men's Individual Pursuit gold medal.
T&T's total medal count has now been reduced from 13 to 11 overall.
The T&T sprint team comprised - Njisane Phillip, Nicholas Paul, Kwesi Browne and Keron Bramble.
At the games, Trinidad and Tobago had secured a one-two finish with Paul and Phillip at the event after Paul beat Phillip in a best –of- three ride-off for the gold medal on Aug. 3, 2019.
In the semi-finals of the match sprint, Phillip got the better of Canelon while Paul cruised past Quintero for the right to contest the gold medal race.
The new results for the team sprint event also showed Colombia taking the top position at the expense of T&T, ahead of second-placed Mexico and third Peru.
However, according to the Panam Sports release yesterday, "Panam Sports wishes to state that the prohibited substance found in the sample provided by Mr. Phillip is not considered a performance-enhancing substance and believes that regardless of the award by the CAS that confirmed the decision of the Panam Sports Ad Hoc Disciplinary Commission, Mr. Phillip had no intention of cheating or having any unfair advantage over his competitors. Panam Sports believes that Mr. Phillip is an honest athlete that made a mistake and that he is committed to learn from the experience."
Meanwhile, CAS confirmed the following:
* That athlete Njisane Phillip did commit, during the Lima 2019 Pan American Games, an anti-doping rule violation contrary to Article 2.1 of Panam Sports Anti-Doping Rules on account of the presence of a prohibited substance in a sample provided by him.
* To disqualify the results obtained by the athlete during the Lima 2019 Pan American Games and order the forfeiture and return of the gold medal won in the team sprint event and the silver medal won in the individual sprint event, both in the sport of cycling.
* To disqualify the result obtained by the Trinidad & Tobago team in the team sprint event of the sport of cycling held on August 1, 2019, during the Lima 2019 Pan American Games and order the forfeiture and return by all of the team members of the gold medals won in this event.
Also, Panam Sports would like to express that it will continue its efforts in the fight against any kind of doping in sport and welcomes the response of Mr. Njisane Phillip with regard to the award, in which he asserts that in spite of the offence, he condemns all kinds of doping in sport.