Thailand Para Athletic Athlete banned for Whereabout Failures
November 08, 2024The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) has banned Para athletics athlete Prawat Wahoram of Thailand for a period of one year for committing an anti-doping rule violation (ADRV), in breach of the IPC Anti-Doping Code.
The sanction was determined following a hearing of the Independent Anti-Doping Tribunal, which has jurisdiction to hear and determine alleged ADRVs under the IPC’s Anti-Doping Code.
The athlete was found to have committed an ADRV pursuant to IPC Anti-Doping Code Article 2.4 of the IPC IF Rules: whereabouts failures by an athlete.
Only four Paralympic Track and Field athletes
In the Anti-Doping Database we have registered 56 paralympic Track & Field athletes sanctioned for violating an Anti-Doping Rule. Out of these, only four has violated the Anti-Doping Rule 2.4 (Whereabout Failures).
The three athletes sanctioned has been given sanctions ranging from one year to four years.
In total we have registered 240 athletes sanctioned for failing to provide whereabout information. Most athletes has been sanctioned for two years - 87 registered cases so far.
What is the Whereabout Program?
The athlete is part of the IPC Registered Testing Pool. The whereabouts programme requires athletes in the Registered Testing Pool to regularly file details of their location so they can be located at any time for testing. Registered Testing Pool athletes must also specify a one-hour timeslot each day in which they will be available for testing at a specified location.
If an athlete fails to correctly record their whereabouts or misses a test three times in the space of 12 months, it is considered an ADRV.
Suspended for one year
Between 1 May 2023 and 21 April 2024, Wahoram was notified of one filing failure and two missed tests. The athlete was provisionally suspended by the IPC on 19 July 2024 pending a resolution of his case.
As a result of the whereabouts violation, Wahoram received a one-year period of Ineligibility from 19 July 2024 to 18 July 2025. All results obtained by the athlete from the date of his third whereabouts failure, 21 April 2024, until the commencement of the provisional suspension are also disqualified, with all resulting consequences, including forfeiture of any medals, points and prizes.
The whereabouts programme - an imporant tool to detect doping in sport
The whereabouts programme is an important tool in the detection and deterrence of doping in sport, as it enables athletes to be tested at any time and any location, without any advance notice. This case serves as a pertinent reminder to all athletes in the IPC’s Registered Testing Pool to ensure they file their whereabouts by the due date and that they update the information they provide as and when their circumstances change.
As a signatory of the World Anti-Doping Code (the WADC), the IPC remains committed to a doping-free sporting environment at all levels. The IPC has established the IPC Anti-Doping Code in compliance with the general principles of the WADC, including the WADC International Standards, expecting that, in the spirit of sport, it will lead the fight against doping in sport for athletes with an impairment.