AUSTRALIAN MARK RICHARDSON FORCED TO GIVE UP GOLD MEDAL AFTER FAILING DRUG TEST. CARLOS CABRERO OF PUERTO RICO IS RECOGNIZED AND GIVEN THE GOLD.

Translation: Heido Sundstrom

In a press release dated August 19th, the International Surfing Association disclosed that, as a result of drug tests performed by the finalists of the last World Masters held in El Salvador in 2011, Australian surfer and winner of the Over 35 Category, Mark Richardson, tested positive for tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), exceeding the maximum level under the current World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Code. Following a lengthy review process, Richardson lost his gold medal team points and was on probation for three months (which has since been completed).

As stated in the rules, Puerto Rican Carlos Cabrero will leave behind his silver medal and receive the gold, becoming the champion of that division. The ISA also advanced Gary Van Wieringen (RSA) to the silver, rising from third place to second place, which left fourth place (copper medal) vacant.

The ISA adheres to the WADA Code and, as a result, requires that drug testing be performed at all ISA World Championships. This ensures that the competition is kept fair and prevents any athletes from taking an unfair advantage by ingesting a substance that is not permitted.

Although it may cause a scandal within the “amateur” surfing world, these tests and the results are an important step for surfing to someday be an Olympic sport.

President of the ISA, Fernando Aguerre, was emphatic in saying: “The ISA has been conducting drug tests on all ISA World Championships since 1992. Since then, the ISA has conducted more than 600 tests, including all finalists in each of our World Championships, and this is the first gold medalist that has tested positive.”