Mandy Mason v Athletics Australia and Sports Integrity Australia

The Applicant, Mandy Mason, is a participant in the sport of athletics. The First Respondent is Athletics Australia as the National Sporting Organisation for the sport of athletics. The Second Respondent is Sports Integrity Australia which is the agency tasked with mitigating integrity threats to sport including anti-doping control.

From 11 to 19 April 2024, the Applicant participated in sprint events at the Australian Athletics Championships. On 13 April 2024, the Applicant was subjected to an In-Competition doping control test which returned an adverse analytical finding. The First Respondent then imposed a Mandatory Provisional Suspension on the Applicant on 13 June 2024.

The matter before the NST was expedited to accommodate the Applicant’s desire to compete at the World Masters Athletics Competition on 14 August 2024. The sole matter for determination was whether the Mandatory Provisional Suspension imposed should be eliminated pursuant to a provision in the Australian National Anti-Doping Policy. The Policy provides that such a suspension can be eliminated if the Athlete demonstrates that the violation is likely to have involved a Contaminated Product. A Contaminated Product is defined as a product containing a Prohibited Substance that is not disclosed on the product label or in information available. The Tribunal could not be satisfied on the balance of probabilities that the matter was likely the result of a Contaminated Product.

The matter is dismissed; the Applicant’s request for the Tribunal to eliminate the Provisional Suspension imposed upon the Applicant is denied.