Marathon News - Gert Thys Doping Case Finally Concludes

Dec-13-2008

Gert Thys Doping Case Finally Concludes
by Riel Hauman
(c) Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved

The Gert Thys drug case, which has been dragging on since 2006, has finally come to an end with the announcement by Athletics South Africa (ASA) on December 11 that Thys's suspension ended on that day after two years and 7½
months. Thys had tested positive for the prohibited substance
Norandrosterone at the Seoul International Marathon on March 12, 2006, which he won in 2:10:40, and the case had been characterised by numerous postponements of a hearing and legal wranglings.

In a media release ASA announced that a tribunal chaired by Raymond Hack met on December 11 and "unanimously found that Mr. Gert Thys committed a doping violation and declared Mr Thys ineligible to participate in athletics from 25th April 2006 to the 11th December 2008 (date of tribunal). In terms of the decision Mr Gert Thys will forfeit all income, prizes and benefits derived from his participation in the Seoul Marathon on the 17th [sic] March 2006."

Thys won the Seoul Marathon for the third time in four years in 2006. The previous month he had also won the Beppu-Oita Mainichi Marathon in 2:09:45.

Thys's hearing was postponed several times on legal and procedural counts, but finally took place on Thursday. ASA was represented by Chris Hattingh, who is in charge of all ASA drug testing.

Thys, who during the past two years had steadfastly claimed that he was innocent of taking any drug, was not present and was not represented. He had informed ASA beforehand that he would not attend.

ASA said that it was satisfied with the decision by the tribunal and "that it sends out a strong message to athletes that the use of banned substances will not be tolerated and, even if it takes time, justice will prevail".

Thys will be reinstated as soon as he has complied with the obligatory number of tests that have to be done during an athlete's period of ineligibility/suspension, ASA said. The Seoul result is the only performance invalidated by his suspension.

Now 37, Thys has completed 35 marathons since he debuted over the distance in May 1988. Not counting the Seoul race, he failed to finish eleven of his last 23 marathons. He set the still standing South African record of
2:06:33 in Tokyo in 1999. This was the Japanese all-comers record until last weekend, when Ethiopian Tsegaye Kebede ran 2:06:10 in Fukuoka.