United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) announced that 2021 USA Cycling Amateur Junior Criterium National Champion Christian DesChamps, 19, from Texas is banned from sport for a period of 14-months after three Whereabouts Failures within a 12-month period.

“Providing accurate and timely Whereabouts information can be a chore for athletes, but it’s an incredibly important one that helps ensure they can compete on a level playing field,” said USADA CEO Travis T. Tygart. “Whereabouts information enables the no advance notice, out-of-competition testing necessary to detect prohibited substances with short detection windows and this is critical to keeping dopers on the sideline.”

Whereabout Failure violations can occur for three reasons: 1) Athlete does not file the required information in a timely manner, 2) Information provided by athlete is insufficient or inaccurate, 3) If a Doping Control Officer (DCO) makes a reasonable attempt to test an athlete at the locations provided on an athlete’s Whereabouts filing and the athlete cannot be located or confirms they are unavailable.

At the time of the Whereabouts Failures, DesChamps was a member of the USADA Registered Testing Pool (RTP), which consists of a select group of athletes subject to specific Whereabouts requirements to be located for out-of-competition testing. Within a 4-month period, DesChamps accrued three Whereabouts Failures, the first for a Filing Failure on 26 March 2023; the second for a Filing Failure on 1 July 2023; and the third for a Filing Failure on 17 July 2023.

The accumulation of three Whereabouts Failures within a 12-month period constitutes an anti-doping rule violation under the USADA Protocol for Olympic and Paralympic Movement Testing, the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee National Anti-Doping Policy, and the International Cycling Union Anti-Doping Rules, all of which have adopted the World Anti-Doping Code.

DesChamps’s 14-month period of ineligibility began on 24 January 2024. In addition, he has been disqualified from all competitive results achieved on and subsequent to 17 July 2023, the date of his third Whereabouts Failure, including forfeiture of any medals, points, and prizes.

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