JUSTIN Brownlee, who shone in the historic Asian Games gold medal game, was reported to have failed a drug test the day after Gilas Pilipinas defeated Jordan in men’s basketball in Hangzhou, China.
The International Testing Agency (ITA) issued a statement on Thursday alleging that Brownlee tested positive for Carboxy-THC. This chemical is connected to cannabis use and is on the World Anti-Doping Agency’s forbidden list.
The Gilas team’s naturalized player was the only one who tested positive. The China Anti-Doping Agency obtained Brownlee’s sample on Oct. 7, while he was “in-competition”.
The sample was taken a day after the Philippines’ historic victory over Jordan, wherein Brownlee scored 20 points and grabbed 10 rebounds.
How will this affect Gilas Pilipinas’ gold medal finish?
Some victorious athletes from previous international and global championships have had their medals revoked after failing drug tests during their competitions.
According to Article 11 of the World Anti-Doping Code of 2021, punishments for a team with two or more positive test results include disqualification from a competition or event, as well as further consequences for the individual athlete.
The World Anti-Doping Code can be found by clicking here.
In this case, Justin Brownlee is the only player on the Gilas team who tested positive. However, given the severity of his contribution to the squad, a positive drug test may discredit the historic gold medal finish.
It is also worth mentioning that Article 11.3 of the anti-doping rules delegate authority to the event’s ruling body. In this scenario, the event is ruled by the hosts China and the Hangzhou Asian Games Organizing Committee (HAGOC).
They will then be given the authority to “establish rules for the event which impose consequences for team sports stricter than those in Article 11.2 for purposes of the event.”
If the results were found to be accurate, would it affect the team’s standing now that they have won the gold medal?
Under FIBA rules, a positive drug test for one player does not affect the outcome of the contests.
Looking back, Kiefer Ravena tested positive for drugs during a World Cup qualifier against Australia in 2018. He was suspended by FIBA for 18 months because of the test results.
The public may have to wait for the final statement. Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) has yet to determine their next action, hence no final verdicts or sanctions have been issued.
