Urweider blames nutritional supplement

Sascha Urweider, suspended by Team Phonak Monday after a positive A-test for testosterone, lays the blame on a nutritional supplement. "I got the stuff on the Internet from Germany," Urweider said. "I thought a substance from Germany would surely be okay. If it had been something from the US, I would never have tried it."

Team owner Andy Rihs had a different point of view. "What he did was totally crazy," Rihs told Swiss newspaper Blick. "Our team doctors have repeatedly warned against using nutritional supplements." When buying the product, Urweider thought he had been cautious. "I considered it to be a reputable company," he said. "I read the packaging insert. And at some point you just have to trust other people." According to the Neue Zürcher Zeitung, he said that the producer explicitly said that the product does not contain any substance which appears on the doping list.

Urweider did not release the name of the product, but said that if the B-test is also positive, then he would let the product be investigated.

The team suspended Urweider after being informed of the positive results of the doping control taken during training on February 14. Urweider, 25, is a second-year pro with the Swiss team, which has a history of doping-related problems in recent years.

Thank you for reading 5 articles in the past 30 days*

Join now for unlimited access

Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

*Read any 5 articles for free in each 30-day period, this automatically resets

After your trial you will be billed £4.99 $7.99 €5.99 per month, cancel anytime. Or sign up for one year for just £49 $79 €59

Join now for unlimited access

Try your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1