Cycle News

IN THE WIND P22 FIM SUSPENDS JAMES STEWART R umors began circulating ear- ly last week that a rider in the 2014 Monster Energy AMA Su- percross Series, an FIM World Championship, was about to be named for failing a World Anti- Doping Agency (WADA) drug test and the Yoshimura Suzuki Team confirmed those rumors via a re- lease on Thursday, June 19, re- vealing that its lone rider James Stewart had been informed by the FIM and WADA that he had failed a drug test that was ad- ministered late in the Supercross series. The Yoshimura release was brief and did not reveal what Stewart tested positive for but did say, "Stewart, with the full support of Yoshimura Suzuki Racing, is willingly communicat- ing with WADA and taking all ap- propriate steps to resolve this matter and plans to be at the starting gate at the Tennessee National in Blountville, Tennes- see, on June 28. The next morning, on June 20, the FIM issued its own release on the matter, saying that Stew- art has been "provisionally" sus- pended by the FIM after it was discovered that Stewart's urine sample had an "adverse analyti- cal finding of amphetamine." Amphetamine is considered by WADA as an illegal substance. It is commonly found in prescribed medicine, such as Adderall or Ritalin. The suspension, effective June 30, remains in affect "until further notice." "The decision to provisionally suspend Mr. Stewart was taken following the receipt of a report from the WADA accredited labo- ratory in Cologne indicating an Adverse Analytical Finding of Amphetamine in a urine sample collected from him at an in-com- petition test carried out by the FIM at the round of the Monster Energy AMA Supercross, an FIM World Championship, held at the Century Link Field, Seattle, Washington, on 12 April, 2014," the release states. The FIM says Stewart has the right to request and attend the analysis of his B sample. The provisional suspension does "not in any way prejudge the question as to whether an anti-doping rule violation under Article 2 of the FIM Anti-Doping Code has ac- tually been committed," the re- lease states. "This question will be addressed by the FIM Inter- national Disciplinary Court (CDI) when it adjudicates on the merits of this case. "Under the World Anti-Doping Code and the FIM Anti-Doping Code, the FIM is unable to pro- vide any additional information at this time," the release con- cludes. According to the Yoshimura re- lease, "Stewart said the medica- tion in question was prescribed to him by his physician to treat a long-term condition." In another separate release from the FIM, drug testing was also performed at the Monster Energy Supercross Series round in East Rutherford, New Jersey, with Josh Hill, Justin Barcia and James Stewart finds himself in trouble with the FIM for failing a WADA drug test at the Seattle Supercross.

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