Bulgarian Para Nordic skiing athlete Svetoslav Georgiev receives three-year ban for committing an anti-doping rule violation

The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) has banned Para Nordic skiing athlete Svetoslav Georgiev for a period of three years for committing an anti-doping rule violation (ADRV).

The Bulgarian athlete returned an adverse analytical finding (AAF) for a Prohibited Substance in a urine sample provided In-Competition on 27 January 2022.

At the time of the violation, the IPC acted as the international federation for the sport of Para Nordic skiing.

The substance was SARMS enobosarm (ostarine). The substance is included on the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) 2022 Prohibited List under the class S1.2 Other Anabolic Agents.

The athlete accepted the commission of the ADRV and the consequences proposed by the IPC. As a result of his violation, Georgiev will be ineligible for competition for 3 years from 22 February 2022 to 21 February 2025.

The results obtained by the athlete from the date the sample was collected will also be disqualified, with all resulting consequences, including forfeiture of any medals, points and prizes.

Each athlete is strictly liable for the substances found in his or her sample. An ADRV occurs whenever a prohibited substance (or its metabolites or markers) is found in his or her bodily specimen, whether or not the athlete intentionally or unintentionally used a prohibited substance or was negligent or otherwise at fault.

As a signatory of the World Anti-Doping Code (the WADC), the IPC remains committed to a doping-free sporting environment at all levels. The IPC has established the IPC Anti-Doping Code (Code) in compliance with the general principles of the WADC, including the WADC International Standards, expecting that, in the spirit of sport, it will lead the fight against doping in sport for athletes with an impairment.