Erriyon Knighton must appeal doping case amid global anti-doping dispute

The doping case of US sprinter Erriyon Knighton, in which he is accused of eating contaminated meat, is now being examined by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CIS). Knighton's lawyer Howard Jacobs said the sprinter could be caught in the crossfire of a global dispute between anti-doping agencies.

The Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU), which is responsible for global anti-doping oversight in track and field, announced that it will appeal the decision of the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) to clear Knighton of any blame before the Olympic trials earlier this summer.

Knighton tested positive for the banned substance trenbolone, a drug commonly found in livestock and linked to contamination cases. The sprinter claimed that oxtail he ate at a central Florida bakery was contaminated with the drug.

Despite the positive test, USADA cleared Knighton and allowed him to qualify for the 200 meters at the Olympic trials, where he finished fourth in Paris. However, his case has since attracted the attention of anti-doping authorities in China, who claim that the same standards are not applied to U.S. and Chinese athletes. This claim comes amid widespread criticism of China and the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) over their handling of contamination cases involving Chinese athletes.

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Knighton's attorney, Jacobs, pointed to growing tensions between WADA and USADA and said Knighton could be “collateral damage” in this ongoing conflict. He said the sprinter would “vigorously defend himself against this baseless appeal.”

The USADA panel reviewed tests of the same batch of meat from the bakery where Knighton purchased the oxtail and concluded that the meat may have caused the traces of trenbolone in his system. Although the amount was minimal, it was enough to trigger a positive test result.

Knighton's situation has become a flashpoint as the conflict between USADA and WADA intensifies, particularly over WADA and China's handling of the case of 23 Chinese swimmers who tested positive for a banned heart drug. Despite the positive tests, Chinese authorities attributed them to contamination and allowed the athletes to compete. Those swimmers won 12 medals at the Paris Games.

Criticism of WADA grew after it became known that the cases of the Chinese swimmers had not been made public. Details only came to light through investigative research by the New York Times and ARD.

In response to the escalating situation, USADA CEO Travis Tygart released a statement highlighting the “stark contrast” between the handling of Knighton's case and the handling of the swimming cases in China. Tygart acknowledged the AIU's grounds for appeal, noting that they likely align with USADA's original decision to pursue the case against Knighton.