This morning, FINA reported that Egyptian swimmer Norhan Naser Salah failed an in-competition drug test in November of 2014 and has received a two year ban from the Egyptian NADO of two years.
On November 27, 2014, she tested positive to the prohibited substance Ephedrine (Class S.6 Specified Stimulant). Ephedrine is commonly found in many over-the-counter pre-workout pills and powders, and is used to enhance performance during training and competition. It can be used to treat asthma and other conditions on rare occasions, but is typically not used because there are more effective, less expensive options available.
“Ephedrine can be very dangerous, epcially if the user has existing heart or blood pressure problems. The abuse of ephedrine is being seen more frequently as many people enjoy the slight buzz it gives them. It also burns away hunger, excites the central nervous system, and raises the heart rate. It is typically taken with caffeine and sometime aspirin for its blood thinning effects so that the heart can reach an even higher per minute rate. Ephedrine has been linked to several heart attacks and strokes.”
The Egyptian NADO imposed a sanction of 2 years’ ineligibility on the athlete starting on December 12, 2014. Her FINA ban started on December 15th, 2014 and will extend through December 15th of 2016.
Currently Norhan Naser Salah is the only athlete banned by FINA for testing positive for ephedrine.
This would be a hell of a lot more common if testing procedures weren’t so laughably inaccurate
I guess she’s not a big enough star to get the Park leniency treatment.