Nine Australian athletes have tested positive for the banned stimulant methylhexaneamine, the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority (ASADA) said yesterday.
Their names will be made public once a legal process is completed, ASADA chief executive Aurora Andruska said.
“It’s a strict legal process that we need to work through. Each athlete has an individual case, and each of those cases take the time that it takes to work through it, so I can’t put a particular time around it.”
Methylhexaneamine has been the subject of several international doping cases since the World Anti-Doping Agency added the substance to its banned list this year.
It is widely used as a nasal decongestant but is also found in recreational drugs.
A component of flower oil, the substance is a common ingredient in a variety of nutritional supplements and easily available on the internet.
Some athletes have said they unknowingly ingested methylhexaneamine when using supplements or other products.
The stimulant cost Nigerian sprinter Osayomi Oludamola her Commonwealth Games 100-metres gold medal in New Delhi this month.
Ahead of the Games, six Indian wrestlers and three swimmers also tested positive for the drug.
ASADA has warned Australian athletes to carefully consider their use of supplements following the spike in positive test results.
“ASADA wants to get the warning out to the Australian sporting community to be on the lookout for any supplement or product containing methylhexaneamine,” Andruska said.
“Methylhexaneamine is appearing more and more in doping test results and has been linked to a number of popular supplements.
Also referred to as dimethylamylamine and dimethylpentylamine, methylhexaneamine is classed as an S6 stimulant on the World Anti-Doping Agency’s prohibited list.
Bans involving this substance can range up to two years, ASADA said.