FROM THE GOLF CHANNEL WEBSITE
Vijay Singh has not been suspended by the US PGA Tour and the case has been dropped,
commissioner Tim Finchem said in a news conference yesterday.
On January 28, Singh, now 50, admitted in a Sports Illustrated article
to using deer-antler spray, which contains IGF-1 (insulin-like growth
factor), a banned substance in all major sports leagues, including the
US PGA Tour.
In a statement at the time, Singh denied knowingly taking the
substance.
Though IGF-1 is on the Tour’s banned-substances list, the circuit does not test for either IGF-1 or human growth hormone.
“The PGA Tour Anti-Doping Policy provides that an admission to the
use of a prohibited substances is a violation of the policy even if
there is no positive drug test.” Finchem said.
“(The World Anti-Doping
Agency) clarified that it no longer considers the use of deer-antler
spray to be prohibited unless a positive test results.”
WADA then provided this statement to the Tour:
“In relation to your pending IGF-1 matter, it is the position of
WADA, in applying the Prohibiting List, that the use of ‘deer antler
spray’ (which is known to contain small amounts of IGF-1) is not
considered prohibited.”
Said Finchem: “Given WADA’s lead role in interpreting the Prohibited
List, the Tour deemed it only fair to no longer treat Mr. Singh’s use of
deer-antler spray as a violation of the Tour’s anti-doping program.”
Singh has been allowed to continue playing as the Tour investigated his case, and he is in the field this week at the Wells Fargo Championship. His best finish in eight starts was a tie for 20th at the Sony Open.
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