Iannone banned from racing for four years
Andrea Iannone’s MotoGP career is all but over after the Italian was handed a four-year ban for violating the sport’s anti-doping rules. This final decision is harsher than Iannone’s original 18-month ban, imposed in March of this year.
The origins of the case go back to the 2019 Malaysian MotoGP, where Iannone tested positive for Drostanolone, an anabolic steroid that’s a prohibited substance under both WADA rules and the FIM Anti-Doping Code.
The 31-year-old claimed the positive test result was due to eating meat contaminated with the steroid. Iannone was backed up in his claim by Aprilia Racing Team Gresini, the team which he joined in 2019 after previous stints in the premier class with Team Suzuki Ecstar and Pramac Racing Ducati.
A provisional suspension came into effect from 17 December, 2019. Following hearings by the FIM International Disciplinary Court in February, that suspension was formalized on 31 March, 2020, in the form of an 18-month ban, backdated to December, 2019.
Iannone said he would appeal the ban with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), seeking an acquittal. At the same time, WADA also filed an appeal, arguing for an extension of the 18-month ban to four years. Iannone’s argument was that he had unknowingly ingested the steroid, adding that he had a clean record in past tests and had no incentive to dope. WADA countered with the claim that Iannone could not provide enough evidence to support his innocence.
The double-barreled appeal process took months, with the final hearing by the CAS taking place on 15 October and the outcome announced on 10 November, 2020.
Had he been found to have unintentionally violated the anti-doping rules, the best outcome Iannone could have received was a two-year ban, but ultimately, the CAS panel found that Iannone had failed to establish the precise type of meat he had consumed as well as the origin of said meat. Additionally, the Panel found that neither Iannone nor the experts he called on were able to establish specifically that there was an issue in Malaysia of meat contamination by Drostanolone.
Judging that Iannone was unable to provide any convincing evidence that the doping violation was unintentional, the CAS panel dismissed his appeal and upheld WADA’s.
As it stands, Iannone will be unable to race in any FIM-sanctioned motorcycling competition until 18 December, 2023 at the earliest. Four years out of the sport means Iannone’s professional motorcycle racing career is essentially over.
The four-year ban also means Iannone’s seat at Aprilia Racing Team Gresini needs to be filled for the 2021 season and beyond, with Cal Crutchlow and Bradley Smith on the shortlist, but Moto2 riders and even Jorge Lorenzo are considered possibilities.
Photos: Russell Colvin
