The athlete explains that she became contaminated when eating with the same spoon that her mother, a cancer patient, had used for her medication. The suspected substance, letrozole, serves to mask other doping substances in controls
Italian biathlete Rebecca Passler rejoined her team on Monday following a successful appeal against a suspension imposed earlier for an alleged doping offence. Passler began training normally and had the opportunity to participate in the women’s relay, scheduled to be held this Wednesday. After having missed the previous competitions, in which Passler could participate. The captain of the Italian team, Klaus Hoellrigl, declared last Friday that he had considered including her in the quartet for the test, although he ultimately did not do so. The Italian anti-doping agency (NADO) upheld Passler’s appeal against a provisional suspension following a positive test for the banned substance letrozole on January 26.
In her appeal, the 24-year-old athlete explained that she lives with her mother, who was taking letrozole as part of her treatment, and that the contamination probably occurred through a spoon she used to eat Nutella hazelnut spread for breakfast the day before the control. Letrozole is a drug classified as an aromatase inhibitor. It is mainly used in the treatment of breast cancer in postmenopausal women. Although letrozole does not improve sports performance directly like a steroid, it can be used strategically to support or cover up the use of doping substances, which is why it is prohibited both in and out of competition.
La noted that the decision to exonerate Passler is only provisional, and that an anti-doping tribunal to be constituted by NADO Italy will examine the full case at a later date.
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