Chris Froome returns adverse analytical finding for Salbutamol

The UCI has revealed that Chris Froome returned an Adverse Analytical Finding (AAF) at the Vuelta a Espana for twice the permissible dose of the asthma medication Salbutamol. The test took place September 7 following stage 18 of the Vuelta, a race which Froome won overall.

Both Froome's 'A' and 'B' sample revealed excess Salbutamol. In a statement announcing the AAF, the UCI stated that "the presence of a Specified Substance such as Salbutamol in a sample does not result in the imposition of such mandatory provisional suspension against the rider."

The WADA threshold for Salbutamol is 1,000ng/ml. According to the UCI, Team Sky was notified of the finding on September 20, the day he finished third in the elite men’s time trial at the UCI World Championships in Bergen.

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News of the case emerged early on Wednesday morning in Europe after a joint investigation by The Guardian in Britain and Le Monde in France.

Froome has previously stated he has suffered from asthma since childhood and has used inhalers in the past. In a statement from the team, Froome explained that his symptoms worsened and he sought medical advice from the team doctor.

"My asthma got worse at the Vuelta so I followed the team doctor’s advice to increase my Salbutamol dosage. As always, I took the greatest care to ensure that I did not use more than the permissible dose," Froome said in a team statement.

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The facts on asthma and WADA rules

• Asthma is a chronic lung disease that inflames and narrows the airways. Asthma causes recurring periods of wheezing, chest tightness, shortness of breath, and coughing.
• Asthma is more common among elite athletes than the general population (70 per cent of swimmers and 30 per cent of Team Sky have it, according to a 2014 article in The Guardian, as opposed to 10 per cent of the general population).
• Asthma is typically treated with inhaled corticosteroids (eg. Fluticasone/Flovent - not prohibited in competition), and bronchodilators (inhaled beta 2-agonists such as salbutamol/Albuterol).
• Oral or injected beta 2-agonists can have anabolic effects and are banned in and out of competition. Inhaled, they are not considered performance enhancing. Inhaled doses are allowed in competition without a TUE at doses up to 1600 microgram over 24 hours or 800 micrograms every 12 hours.
• Anti-doping authorities can reliably determine salbutamol was taken orally or injected because it undergoes chemical changes in the body, but those changes do not occur if it is inhaled.
• If a rider’s urine contains more than 1000ng/ml of salbutamol it is considered an Adverse Analytical Finding.
• The threshold of 1000ng/ml was set by a scientific study, but metabolism of the drug varies greatly from person to person.
• In cases of an AAF exceeding the threshold for inhaled salbutamol, athletes can submit to a pharmacological study of their metabolism of the drug to try to prove exceeding the dose was unintentional.
• Because salbutamol is a specified substance under WADA rules, the UCI’s anti-doping rules do not require a provisional suspension while the case is further adjudicated.
• UCI rules allow for at minimum a reprimand and maximum two years ineligibility if a rider can establish no significant fault for the AAF.

Previous Salbutamol cases

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