Austrian rowers Heinfried Jurtschitsch, Martin Kobau and Norbert Lambing have completed a six month suspension imposed by the FISA Executive Committee for negligence by having taken contaminated nutritional supplements containing a concentration of the banned substance norandrosterone, a metabolite of nandrolone.
On 1st August 2003, the three were among eight rowers tested by The World Anti-Doping Agency, WADA. The tests were conducted out-of-competition at an Austrian training camp. The results of the analysis of the A samples from these three showed a concentration of norandrosterone, higher than the threshold level of 2ng/ml. The B samples confirmed the A sample results.
The rowers had consulted the list of "safe" nutritional supplements published by their National Anti-Doping Agency and National Anti-Doping Laboratory before taking the product. It was on the list of safe products but it was not safe at all.
It was clear to the FISA Executive Committee from the file and two subsequent hearings that Martin Kobau, Helfried Jurtschitsch and Norbert Lambing did not act intentionally with the goal of enhancing their performance by prohibited means. The FISA Executive considered that the three athletes did everything possible to avoid using prohibited substances but that they were still negligent. However, they concluded that this negligence was not significant.
FISA has always been very serious in the fight against doping and has never hesitated to apply the most severe sanctions when appropriate. In this case FISA considered six months to be the most appropriate sanction. The ineligibility period of six months began with the provisional suspensions applied to the rowers on 21st August 2003 and ended on 20th February 2004.
All three rowers are again eligible to compete at FISA regattas and are eligible to try and qualify for the Olympic Games.