The Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport (CCES) has announced that amateur para cyclist Tarek Dahab has been banned 4 years after testing positive for Testosterone, despite his lengthy and thorough attempt to receive a Therapeutic Use Exemption.

According to official documents regarding the decision issued by the Sport Dispute Resolution Centre of Canada:

  • The 50 year-old former police officer from Quebec only started competing in para cycling events in late 2022 after being diagnosed with life-altering injuries when he was hit and dragged for 1km by a car while out for a bike ride in 2017. The injuries were so sever and long lasting that the quality of his life declined significantly.
  • In August 2021 Daheb began taking Testosterone under the care of his doctor to help with continued pain and physical damage as the result of his 2017 crash. The medication greatly improved Dehab’s quality of life, so much so that he eventually started riding again, as a para cyclist.
  • Upon joining the Velo 2000 team in early 2023, and before competing in his first race, Daheb notified the Quebec Cycling Federation and Cycling Canada of his therapeutic Testosterone use. He then submitted his first application for a Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE).
  • Over the next 11 months Daheb and CCES engaged in a lengthy back-and-forth clash, with CCES continually requesting more medical documentation, Daheb providing it and CCES denying 3 TUE applications.
  • With an out-of-competition anti-doping test administered in November 2023, Daheb tested positive for Testosterone. A few weeks earlier, with Cycling Canada fully aware of his Testosterone use, Daheb placed 4th in the Men’s Kilo at the UCI Para-Cycling Track World Championships in Glasgow, Scotland.
  • Without a valid TUE, Daheb was found quilty of intentionally doping and handed a 4 year ban, from 20 December 2023 until 20 December 2027.

As we reported earlier this year in The Case of Mirko Talignani, obtaining a TUE is a complicated, confusing, lengthy and costly undertaking that must be completed at least 30 days prior to competition. The athlete must have a physician complete a TUE form including complete medical history and multiple test results showing the athlete needs the drug to treat their medical condition and an alternative non-banned drug is not available or insufficiently treats their condition. In addition, the drug cannot increase the likelihood that the athlete will perform beyond their normal ability.

Under World Anti-Doping Agency Code, all athletes, beginner or expert, have the sole responsibility to ensure that, in the absence of a TUE, they do not compete while banned substances are present in their body, else they are almost guaranteed to be found guilty of doping and banned from sport.

Photo Credit: Canadian Centre For Ethics In Sport

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