Guatemalan Cross Country champion’s positive for banned substance

damian gough

Guatemalan national Miguel Perez, winner of the Eighty-second Annual Cross Country Cycling Classic, remains the subject of an investigation carried out by the Belize Cycling Association.  As we reported on Tuesday night, Perez, who rode for the Sugar City Stars, tested positive for an unspecified hormone. News Five’s Isani Cayetano has more on this story.

Isani Cayetano, Reporting

Cross Country champion Miguel Perez was recently forwarded an official letter by the association informing him of the results of a urine test taken upon completion of the race.  The test which is a requirement for the Holy Saturday tourney was conducted at the University of California at Los Angeles.  Team manager Damian Gough says that they are following due process and have informed Perez of the letter issued by BCA.

Damian Gough, Manager, Sugar City Stars

“The team’s position at this time is that we are going to try to honour the process that is laid out when these sort of anti-doping matters arise.  There’s a specific process in that the rider needs to be formally notified of the results that have been received so far by the B.C.A.  That process has been initiated in that the team has been informed and the rider will duly be informed in the course of the, yesterday and today.  That process dictates that the rider then has to make a decision as to whether or not he will do what is being requested of him by the lab that did the tests.  The specific request is that the rider subjects himself to additional testing for them to be able to try to see if they can determine conclusively what the substance was that may have triggered the results that we have received.  For now the results that we have received do not indicate that he in fact has tested positive for any performance enhancing substance or any banned substance.”

According to Gough if Perez is found in violation of anti-doping regulations disciplinary action will be taken against him.

Damian Gough

“Under the rule of anti-doping the bylaws and regulations of the International Anti-doping Rules he would immediately be stripped of, he would be disqualified of his results for the Cross Country then subsequently stripped of the title and any prizes and winnings that would have been associated to him winning the race.”

While the hormone found in Perez’s body is yet to be identified Gough has had a similar situation involving the presence of prohibited substances inside one of his riders.

Damian Gough

“Unfortunately for us last year our team; a rider from our team Quinton Hamilton, a Belizean rider did test positive for a particular substance after the cross country last year; a substance or a steroid known as dextamethozone.  It is used in the treatment of several medical conditions but in his particular case it was being used for the treatment of asthma.”

Hamilton was suspended for a period of seven months but was later reinstated when it was discovered that the chemical present in his medication was not on the revised list of banned substances. It is reported that Perez informed his doctor upon testing after the race that he had been using medication for a sore knee. Reporting for news five, I am Isani Cayetano.

According the Cycling Association the winners cannot collect prizes until forty-five days after the race, when testing results are available. We say this because Perez has not yet collected his prizes.