Stripped of a gold medal through inadvertent doping

It was later revealed that she tested positive for pseudo-ephedrine. However Raducan and her coaches maintained her innocence, saying that she had been given the substance in a cold medication by a Romanian team physician and that it had not impacted her performance.

With a great deal of media attention and support from the gymnastics community her case was brought to the Court of Arbitration for Sport later that year. Raducan herself was exonerated of any personal misconduct by the CAS, the Romanian Olympic Committee and the International Gymnastics Federation, and was not subject to any further disciplinary measures. However, her medal was not reinstated, and the team doctor who administered the medication was banned for two Olympic cycles. Raducan returned the year after the Olympics for a further two years to win five additional World Championship medals before retiring in 2002.

The consequences of testing positive in sport can have a devastating impact on an athlete's career and Khalid Galant, CEO of the South African Institute for Drug-Free Sport (SAIDS) says that accountability by the physicians that treat professional athletes is paramount. “We have seen many cases of inadvertent doping over the decades,” he says. “I say that it's high time that the healthcare professionals equipped themselves with the knowledge needed to ensure that they do not endanger an athlete's career”.

Cold and cough remedies often include prohibited substances, i.e. stimulants such as ephedrine and pseudo-ephedrine and although athletes are warned about the risks associated with taking such medications, Gallant says that it's not unusual for young, inexperienced athletes to trustingly take medications thinking that it is perfectly safe, especially after having it prescribed by an experienced physician, or recommended by a pharmacist.

Austell Laboratories recognises the dilemma that healthcare professionals face in prescribing cough and cold medications and has invited local and international experts to offer pertinent views and research on this topic at the Seminar on Drug Safety in Sport & Children.

Khalid Galant, CEO of the SAIDS will be addressing the audience on medications that may and may not be prescribed to athletes, as well as the legalities associated with the prescription of drugs containing banned substances. The seminar will also address issues of which legitimate medications are prohibited in sport, what should be done by doctors and athletes if a patient has taken a banned substance for a real medical condition, and whether healthcare professionals can be held liable when athletes test positive.

The seminar will take place 24 February 2009 in Johannesburg at Melrose Arch, 25 February 2009 in Cape Town at BOE/Regus, Waterfront Clock Tower and the 26 February 2009 in Durban at the Hilton Hotel and will begin at 18:30 for 19:00.

Issued on Behalf on Austell Laboratories