WADA's concerns over Ulihrach case
LONDON, England (Reuters) -- World Anti-Doping Agency director general David Howman has expressed doubts over the ATP's conclusion in the Bohdan Ulihrach case, now a center of attention in the Greg Rusedski affair.
The Czech tennis player successfully appealed against a two-year doping ban after the ATP admitted electrolytes given to players by Tour trainers could have contained nandrolone.
Rusedski, who admits testing positive for the banned substance, has protested his innocence and vowed to clear his name.
On Friday, the former U.S. Open finalist disclosed 47 players have shown elevated levels of nandrolone and argued he had been singled out.
The ATP stopped distributing vitamin and nutritional products to trainers following the Ulihrach case, but WADA's Howman told BBC Radio on Saturday: "It may have nothing to do with trainers and electrolytes."
WADA is carrying out its own probe and Howman said: "We are very concerned that perhaps the conclusion that the electrolytes provided by the ATP trainers were responsible for the positive results is wrong and there is something else going on out there.
"We don't know whether there's anybody else providing things to people and we must remain suspicious."
The ATP had released a statement earlier on Saturday saying that, while they could not comment on Rusedski's case, there had only been four positive tests for nandrolone in the last eight months and three were under the threshold for a positive test.
"Since May 2003 the ATP has strengthened its procedures to guard against the risk of contamination and the presence of nandrolone in tests has largely halted," the statement read.
"The ATP is continuing its efforts to warn players regarding the risk of contamination of health products and the players' responsibilities under the rules of the sport for the presence of any prohibited substances in their bodies."
"The ATP also will enforce the rules of the Tennis Anti-Doping Program, including enforcement of any penalties assessed against a player found by an independent anti-doping tribunal to have committed a doping offence."
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