AUSTRALIAN anti-doping authorities have taken steps to ensure banned NSW cyclist Andrew Wyper does not breach his two-year suspension and compete in this year's Hawaii Ironman triathlon.
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The Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority took the steps yesterday as it announced a two-year ban on another Australian cyclist, Mark Roland, for using prohibited susbstances while racing in Queensland.
ASADA yesterday said it had notified the Hawaiian organisers of the 3.8-kilometre swim, 180km cycle and 42.2km run Ironman to be held on October 11 that Wyper is banned until February 7, 2010, for a doping violation in 2005.
The ban was announced this week after the Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled Wyper had breached the anti-doping code by importing human growth hormone and erythropoietin via the internet in 2005.
A 2003 world junior title road and track cyclist, Wyper was also fined $4000 in court for the offence in 2006.
As he awaited his fate, Wyper returned to triathlon and this year qualified for next month's Ironman world championship by placing fourth in his 18-to-24 age group and 49th overall at the New Zealand Ironman in March.
It is not known whether Wyper was planning on still making the trip to Hawaii in light of this week's ruling.
However, with the race looming, ASADA officials took the step of ensuring he wouldn't be allowed to start by alerting the organisers of the ban.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport said Wyper "is ineligible to compete in all sporting competition" for two years.
ASADA chairman Richard Ings said: "We have sought for them [Hawaii Ironman] to reciprocate the enforcement of the ban."
Roland, a professional on the Giant Asia team in 2003, was found guilty of using human growth hormone on August 27 and December 5, 2003, and the anabolic steroid dehydroepiandrosterone on the same two dates and on November 16, 2004.
The finding did not come from an anti-doping test, but through a joint investigation between ASADA and Queensland Health. Roland also admitted to using the illegal substances and has accepted the two-year suspension.
For ASADA this is the second recent case where drug cheats have been caught without undergoing dope tests.
Wyper was caught before he even received his illegal drugs when Australian Customs intercepted the package.
Roland will forfeit all race results from his first use of human growth hormone on August 27, 2003, to when he last raced which was on April 25 this year. He will be eligible to race again on April 24, 2010.
