Former Commonwealth super-lightweight champion Philip Bowes has been given a four-year ban from all sport by UKAD.
The Londoner tested positive for the banned substance Ostarine following an adverse finding discovered in a urine sample provided on September 2, 2020. This took place after the 37-year-old had lost to Akeem Ennis Brown for Commonwealth and British honours on the same night.
In their statement UKAD described Ostarine as ‘a drug designed to have similar effects to testosterone’.
On October 16, 2020, UKAD charged Mr Bowes with violating Article 2.1 of the UK Anti-Doping Rules.
Whilst admitting the Anti-Doping Rule Violation (ADRV), Mr Bowes contended that he had not committed the ADRV intentionally and stated that the presence of Ostarine in his Sample must have been due to him having ingested a contaminated supplement.
The National Anti-Doping Panel heard the case on July 15, 2021, before issuing their decision on August 5. The NADP then imposed a period of ineligibility for four years. This will run from September 2, 2020, until September 1, 2024.
Speaking on the case, UKAD Director of Operations Pat Myhill said: “This case serves as another reminder that athletes are solely responsible for what they are putting in their bodies. The rules relating to Prohibited Substances are explicit and clear: the athlete is personally responsible for what is in their system at all times.
Whilst Mr Bowes sought to assert his ADRV was not intentional and that he had been the victim of contamination, the NADP, having considered his case, found he was not able to provide sufficient evidence to support this claim.”