Thread by @NickJMButler

New ARD Doping Editorial Team film: “Guilty: How athletes can unintentionally become dopers” now available online (with English subs and text). rbb24.de/sport/beitrag/… Long-term research with super colleagues @hajoseppelt @joergww @JOpfermann and @malterb. Thread summary below 1/

We wanted to investigate suggestions that you could make someone fail a drugs test simply by touching their skin. Using a carrier substance to bring anabolic steroids into body undetected. We worked alongside Institute of Forensic Medicine in Cologne to experiment 2/

The result? All 12 test subject registered at least two initial positive tests after brief touches to either the hand, neck or arm. Some did so in urine samples after just one hour, and others still did so after 15 days. More details here sportschau.de/geheimsache-do… 3/

This means that it is possible to sabotage someone unknowingly. Mario Thevis, director of WADA-accredited Cologne Lab, who analysed the samples, said v.likely that: if the samples had come from athletes, they "would definitely be punished, possibly for up to four years." 4/

This is largely because labs would have no way to reliably detect the carrier substance, so would not be able to distinguish between sabotage and genuine #doping. Therefore, a a handshake, high-five or quick slap of the arm could be enough for doping case 5/

Experts also think it may be possible for athletes to wear a protective cream on hand to, for a short time only, protect themselves. Meaning one athlete could potentially sabotage another in this way without testing positive themselves 6/

Doping sabotage cases have been proven. In 2008, almost entire Spanish hockey team contaminated with MDMA during Olympic qualification tournament in Azerbaijan. No investigation into who was responsible, despite urine sample also being found manipulated sportschau.de/geheimsache-do… 7/

This Spanish hockey ecstasy case is an amazing but little known story. We spoke to two of the Spanish players, @maria_ruma and @Boni2103, about how they were contaminated during a team dinner... sportschau.de/geheimsache-do… 8/

Another case involved Belgian judoka @ChaVanSnick, who CAS ruled was most likely a victim of sabotage, when testing positive for cocaine. A former coach was suspected. She still lost a medal and much more sportschau.de/geheimsache-do… 9/

But this experiment shows for first time how sabotage by skin is possible. Top German athletes we spoke to are horrified. Describing it as "unbelievable and undermining the entire doping system." @janfrodeno @FelixLoch @thomasroehler @karlaborger sportschau.de/geheimsache-do… 10./

This was a a different + difficult story to do tone-wise. We don't want to provide an attack template, so won’t name steroids or carrier substance used. Cheats also clearly have and will try to use sabotage as an excuse, but this does not mean attacks cannot happen 11/

Experiment shows the existing system, and principle of strict liability, where there is no presumption of innocence and a positive test alone is enough for a doping case, can be unfair, making it virtually impossible for some innocent athletes to escape punishment 12/

Take case of Swiss handball player @simongetzmann. He was able to prove, eventually, that positive test was due to a painkiller contaminated when produced, but it cost him €10-15,000 to do so, nearly ended his career. sportschau.de/geheimsache-do… 13/

Richard McLaren, world leading doping investigator and CAS arbitrator, says system is "perhaps more loaded against the athlete" and, on doping attacks, that there is "really no way that you can protect yourself from someone who's going to use this methodology" 14/

Angelika Nußberger, ex-Vice President of the European Court of Human Rights, goes further. In her view, strict liability threatens human rights and must now be adjusted so athletes have any chance at all of escaping an accusation." Sport must "look for a new system". 15/

Sport leaders, including @Olympic and @wada_ama bosses Thomas Bach and Witold Banka, defend strict liability system as only way to catch cheats. But they must do better, it cannot come at the expense of human rights. A better balance must be found 16/

Anti-Doping system in 2021 is undoubtedly failing to deal with so many forms of doping, e.g. micro dosing, while wasting resources on chasing potentially innocent athletes. This experiment has shown how one can fail a drug test but not necessarily be guilty 17/

All links to film and reports accessible here sportschau.de/geheimsache-do… Full Documentary will be show on @DasErste at 18:00 on Saturday July 17, with a studio discussion afterwards 18/

Apologies for the long thread but has been a really tough but fun project, also dealing with challenges of researching and filming worldwide during lockdown. Lots of other great colleagues involved, including @DracoMausel @JMebus @kristinasmirv @Seb_Muenster and @phbuechner 19