Following recent allegations of classification misrepresentation by Australian para-cyclist Stuart Jones, USA paralympian David Berling has filed a lawsuit against the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) over what he claims is widespread cheating by athletes via “classification doping.”

Funding his lawsuit with a GoFundMe campaign, Berling hopes to make the IPC crack down on para-athletes who intentionally overstate their disabilities to gain a performance advantage when competing with more severely disabled athletes.

“There are no repercussions for athletes that intentionally manipulate the rules to gain a competitive advantage. The governing body is supposed to be watchdogging the whole thing, but there is no oversight to any manipulation of those rules,” Berling told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC).

A competitive hand-cyclist for almost 10 years, Berling alleges that he has witnessed many para-cyclists exaggerating their physical disabilities to improve their chances of winning races, including at national championships, world championships and Paralympic Games.

Berling believes that lack of oversight is highlighted by the Stuart Jones case in Australia, where the national governing body for cycling (AusCycling), Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) and the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) have yet to publicly act on Jones’s alleged classification doping.

So far, Jones has not been provisionally suspended from competition, as is the norm with traditional doping or cheating allegations. Although, based on an April 2023 Australian Broadcasting Corporation investigation, it seems there is a strong case against Jones concerning the validity of his original para-cycling MT2 trike classification.

Instead, Jones is competing on the 2023 UCI Para-Cycling World Tour, placing 4th (ITT) and 5th (RR) in Ostend, Belgium and 6th (ITT) & 4th (RR) in Maniago, Italy. As the highest ranked Australian MT2 para-athlete, he is also expected to compete in the UCI World Cycling Championships taking place in Glasgow, Scotland next month.

This is not the first time the para-sporting world has been embroiled in classification issues. In 2015 para-swimmers intentionally cheated by exaggerating disabilities to gain an advantage, leading IPC Chief Executive Xavier Gonzalez to describe the problem as a “grave danger to the sport” and vowed to take whatever steps necessary to safeguard fair competition for athletes and the IPC.

After 8 years, it is unclear if anything has changed.

Photo Credit: Facebook/David Berling

© 2019-2023 All Rights Reserved Gran Fondo Daily News