Australian cyclist convicted for importing performance-enhancing drugs

Former Australian national team member, Andrew Wyper was convicted of illegally importing performance enhancing drugs from Indonesia in a court in Sydney. The 21-year-old was fined AUS$4,067, and the conviction could mark the end of his cycling career. Wyper represented Australia at the 2003 world road championships in Canada and the 2003 junior world track championships in Russia.

In November of last year, Australian customs officials detected a package travelling from Indonesia with four vials of anabolic steroids, seven vials of human growth hormone, and a syringe marked as containing EPO according tot he Courier Mail. A subsequent raid of a house in Inverell led authorities to seize relevant documents in the case.

A spokeswoman for Cycling Australia told the Courier Mail that any information that the organization received about the case would be handed over to the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority (ASADA), which would then notify the UCI. "We are very happy that customs is taking action to stop performance enhancing drugs from coming into Australia," said the spokeswoman.

According to Cycling Australia's website, Wyper had hoped to race in the 2008 Olympics and the Tour de France.