Italian Olympian Alex di Giorgio Receives Reduction in Doping Suspension

Italy’s National Anti-Doping Court of Appeal on Tuesday issued a decision on the appeal of the suspension of Alex di Giorgio, a two-time Olympian.

The appeals group reduced the original suspension of 8 months to just 3 months. The original sanction was assigned by the National Anti-Doping Organization (NADO) in January.

While the updated punishment comes too late for di Giorgio’s Olympic hopes, it does make him immediately eligible.

The 30-year old swimmer tested positive for the banned substance ostarine during a training camp on September 13 in Livigno, Italy.

The appeals court cited a very low concentration (1 nanogram/milliliter) and the lack of metabolites to support the claim of a contaminated supplement as a reason for the reduction in punishment.

Ostarine, also known as Enobosarm, is a selective androgen receptor modulator (SARM). Developed for the treatment of medical conditions like muscle wasting and osteoporosis, it can be used by athletes to increase physical stamina and fitness, producing effects similar to anabolic steroids.

n 2017, in the US, a dietary supplement called Tri-Ton was tested by the USFDA and found to contain ostarine. In 2016, according to the Sports Integrity Initiative, there were only 28 AAFs across all sports for the substance, much lower than the more common stanozolol, for example, which had 294 findings.

While ostarine is not approved for human use or consumption anywhere in the world, it has increasingly turned up in supplements and has seen a growing number of positive tests. By 2018, the most recent report released by WADA, there were 45 positive tests. In 2018, the Sports Integrity Initiative reported that at least 60 products on its “High Risk List” contained ostarine.

The 30-year old swimmer was a member of the Italian 800 free relay that won gold at the 2013 Mediterranean Games. At the 2016 Rio Olympic Games, he swam a leg on Italy’s prelims 800 free relay, where he split 1:47.74 and the team placed 9th. At the 2012 London Olympic Games, he also swam on the prelims 800 free relay, splitting 1:47.93 as the relay finished 11th.

He currently trains at the Federal Center of Verona under coach Matteo Giunta in a group that includes the country’s most famous swimmer Federica Pellegrini, along with Stefania Pirozzi, Carlotta Zofkova, and others.