American Swimmer Ryan Lochte Handed 14 month Doping Violation Suspension

American, Ryan Lochte recently posted a picture from May 24th on his Instagram account showing the swimmer getting an IV injection. That picture led to an investigation by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency and subsequently saw the swimmer being issued a suspension.

Lochte, who has competed for the United States national team in four Olympic Games, will not be permitted to compete for the next year. His suspension takes effect immediately and will be lifted in July 2019. The decision by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency will prevent Lochte from competing at this year’s national championships in California this week. It also prevents the 12 medal athlete from competing in the Pan Pacific Championships as well as the Worlds next year.

This is the second suspension Lochte has been handed in the last two years. His first was for ten months following his behaviour in an incident fueled while intoxicated at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics in 2016. The suspension related to the intravenous injection as this is a banned practise by the USADA.
Ryan Lochte addressed the media about the suspension during a press conference in Florida. He stressed he was not taking a substance that was banned and was under the impression he was not violating any rules.

ESPN

To support his unawareness that what he doing was illegal under the anti-doping laws, he posted the picture of his wife, himself and their son while he got the intravenous injection on social media accounts. Stressing that he did this to combat the risk of getting sick and only took vitamins that included B12.

The USADA stated that “Lochte received an intravenous infusion of permitted substances at an infusion clinic.” It added that generally, athletes are not allowed to have intravenous injection unless hospitalised or when given an exception by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency. In this case, Lochte failed to meet any of those conditions.

In the past, few athletes have been suspended for getting an IV injection. There have only been two that have in the past, one for six months, and the other for 14 months. Additionally, the USADA has not suspended any swimmer, even those found guilty of having positive tests for more than a year, and for some, it suggests the suspension was an extension of the punishment Lochte was given as a result of his actions in Rio.

The swimmer was scheduled to enter four swimming events during the U.S. championships in California. Many had high hopes to a triumphant return, especially sports betting sites that take action on swimming events, both nationally and internationally. One of those, which is highly recommended by betting. ca is betway sports, and for punters looking for favourable betting odds, its 100% match bonus, up to $200 is perfectly suited for Canadian sports fans.

This was due to be the largest competition he had participated in since the Olympics and his claim that he was robbed at a gas station at gunpoint. That claim was found to be false and resulted in Lochte being handed a ten-month suspicion, but also it cost him $100,000 in bonus money for the medals he won.

The largest hit he took was to his reputation and sponsorship deals that saw Ralph Lauren and Speedo both dropping the troubled swimmer. That cost the swimmer large and caused many to question his state of mind at the time. After staying off the radar since Rio, he is once again having his reputation take a hit. Whether he is permitted to complete in the 2020 Olympics, which would be his fifth is unknown, but in his press conference, he stated it is his intentions to complete.