Canadian Commonwealth Games team member Alec Page has just completed a one-month suspension for a doping violation, FINA announced today.
Page was given a one-month suspension by the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sports that began on May 26th, 2014. This means that he’s already eligible for competition again.
Page tested positive for the banned substance Probenecid on April 5th, 2014 at the Canadian National Championships and Commonwealth Games trials.
Page, a 2012 Olympian in the 400 IM, finished 2nd in the 200 fly in 1:59.65 at Canadian Nationals and won the 400 IM in 4:15.80. He also took 5th in the 400 free in 3:55.88 and 2nd in the 200 free in 1:49.33. The positive test, on April 5th, was the day he swam the 200 fly.
Probenecid increases uric acid excretion in urine, and is intended to treat gout and hyperuricemia. While not specifically a performance enhancer, it can be used as a masking agent to dilute the concentrations of other banned substances in urine.
The timing of the one-month suspension coincides with the completion of his last meet. The Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport typically releases news further explaining details of their suspensions, but in this case have not. They also have not immediately responded to a request for comment.
While there are not many cases involving this specific substance to lean on for precedent in swimming, a group of Brazilians, including Cesar Cielo, were given just a warning for a positive test for furosemide: a similar masking agent.
Page is still listed on Swimming Canada’s website as a member of their Commonwealth Games team, and Swimming Canada did not immediately respond to a request for comment.