Cyclist banned after testing positive for 10 different drugs

A rider has been banned by US anti doping after he tested positive for 10 different prohibited substances. 

Vahe Aivazian, 52,  a masters racer from California, accepted a four-year suspension for the possession, use or attempted use of a panoply of banned drugs.

The staggeringly wide array of doping products the American used includes Testosterone, Nandrolone, a number of growth hormones and Anastrozole, a hormone and metabolic modulator.

Aivazian, who races downhill and Enduro mountain bike events, planned to contest his case through arbitration until the day of the hearing when he accepted the four year suspension. 

Aivazian’s competitive results from June 16, 2010, the date on which he first used prohibited substances, have been disqualified, including forfeiture of any medals, points and prizes.

USADA said that Aivazian was caught through testing but also with the help of tip-offs from others in the sport. 

Information showed Aivazian had purchased products containing five different prohibited substances, before USADA received additional evidence in January and February 2021.

Further investigations then uncovered a total of 10 substances that Aivazian either possessed, used or had attempted to use.

USADA CEO Travis Tygart said: “An essential part of an effective anti-doping program is to work closely with athletes, coaches, and others in sport and elsewhere who want clean and fair competition and to thoroughly investigate and act on credible evidence of doping violations.

“It’s a team effort and we need those who value clean sport to stand up, as this case demonstrates the fight for clean sport is stronger when we work together to protect clean athletes.”

The full list of drugs 

1. Testosterone – a Non-Specified Substance in the class of Anabolic Agents
2. Nandrolone – a Non-Specified Substance in the class of Anabolic Agents
3. Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) – a Non-Specified Substance in the category of Anabolic Agents
4. Somatropin (hGH) – a Non-Specified Substance in the class of Peptide Hormones, Growth Factors, Related Substances, and Mimetics
5. Ipamorelin – a Non-Specified Substance in the class of Peptide Hormones, Growth Factors, Related Substances and Mimetics
6. GHRP-6 – a Non-Specified Substance in the class of Peptide Hormones, Growth Factors, Related Substances, and Mimetics
7. CJC-1295 – a Non-Specified Substance in the class of Peptide Hormones, Growth Factors, Related Substances, and Mimetics
8. IGF-1 – a Non-Specified Substance in the class of Peptide Hormones, Growth Factors, Related Substances, and Mimetics
9. Human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) – a Non-Specified Substance in the class of Peptide Hormones, Growth Factors, Related Substances, and Mimetics
10. Anastrozole – a Specified Substance in the class of Hormone and Metabolic Modulators

All 10 substances are prohibited under the USADA Protocol for Olympic and Paralympic Movement Testing, the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee National Anti-Doping Policy, and the Union Cycliste Internationale Anti-Doping Rules, all of which have adopted the World Anti-Doping Code and the World Anti-Doping Agency Prohibited List.