Frankie's Official Statement.
Frank Sheahan is an asthmatic. He uses a Ventolin inhaler which
contains Salbutamol to help treat his condition. This fact is well
documented and was accepted by the Judicial tribunal. At the first hearing
in ERC headquarters, it was pointed out to the
Judicial Tribunal that Frankie required medication to treat this asthmatic condition and
inhaled this medication. The Judicial Tribunal accepted that
Frank Sheahan was an asthmatic, that he required medication and that
he inhaled this medication containing Salbutamol.
On Frank Sheahan's behalf, it was pointed out that the subsequent
level of Salbutamol in the urine is not relevant or applicable to the
Rules of the Competition because of his
condition and medical requirements and that there is no cut-off point
or level outlined in the competition rules or the IOC regulations,
provided that the medicineis inhaled.
If the Salbutamol levels found in the urine sample were a relevant
factor, medical opinion offered on behalf of Sheahan that it was
present as a result of inhalation, was accepted by the medical
experts retained by the ERC (including members of the
International Olympic. (It should be noted that one puff of a
Ventolin inhaler is equivalent to 100,000 (one hundred thousand)
ng/ml of Salbutamol).
Professor Kenneth Duncan Fitch, the renowned Anti-Doping Expert,
retained by the ERC confirmed that when research findings indicate
the approach taken in the current list of prohibited substances and
prohibited methods is scientifically flawed, prompt
action to correct the position should be taken and that this is
exactly the position that currently relates to Salbutamol readings in
excess of 1000 ng/ml.
He went on to say that he would consider it a gross injustice to any
athlete found with a Salbutamol concentration in excess of 1000 ng/ml
in his urine to be charged with a doping violation without
investigating whether the Salbutamol was inhaled.
Professor Finch had tests carried out on the residue of the “A”
sample in an IOC accredited Laboratory in Barcelona, which confirmed
that in Frank Sheahan's case the Salbutamol in the urine had been
inhaled.
Finally, in relation to the divergence in the level of prohibited
substance found in the players sample, from the quarter final and semi final, Perry Leary, a Professor of Pharmacology, an acknowledged
expert in this area, gave evidence on behalf of Frank Sheahan in
which he stated that the humidity differential (a maximum of 57%)
between the Leicester and Toulouse games, coupled with the severe
dehydration experienced by the player immediately and for some time
after the game, had a direct bearing on the levels found in the
sample provided.
The ERC medical team agreed with this evidence.
The IOC’s regulations are 1,000ng/ml which goes for all sports, but we believe that Rugby, and particularly Frankie’s position on the team, is much tougher than most,
and is more comparable to a marathon runner than a sprinter for example, therefore having higher levels.
Also, Frankie’s dehydration was so severe that we believe this contributed to the high levels.
It is also worth noting, that an IOC accredited laboratory in Barcelona confirmed that in Frankie’s case the Salbutamol in the urine had been inhaled.
When Frankie was drug tested in Toulouse, he had had 8 puffs of Ventolin inhaler, and his Salbutamol level was 1,650 ng/ml. The reason the independent judicial tribunal banned Frankie was that they "cannot with conscience conclude that the player has satisfied us, on the balance of probabilities, that he administered himself with only eight puffs of Ventolin containing Salbutamol for the purpose of properly treating and/or preventing his asthma and/or exercise-induced asthma."
Frankie got drug tested 2 weeks previously in Leicester, England, and his Salbutamol level was only 80 ng/ml. However, in Toulouse, Frankie was extremely dehydrated after the match, and took him up to 8 litres of water and 2 hours waiting before he could urinate, and when he did urinate he found it extremely difficult and the urine was very yellow and extremely concentrated. Frankie also believes that he sweated approximately 7/8 litres during and after the match. The PH levels as a result was 5.0 exactly.
