Article source: "Qu'est-ce que l'ostarine, le produit auquel Ysaora Thibus a été testée positive ?", Romain Donneux, l'Equipe, 09/02/2024.
Last summer, a few months before French fencer Ysaora Thibus tested positive for Enobosarm, it was Brazilian Olympic pole vault champion Thiago Braz who was suspected of using the controlled substance. The drug is classed as an anabolic agent (S1) in the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) list of prohibited substances. It is a selective androgen receptor modulator (SARM).
In layman’s terms, it is a substance that favours muscle growth. “It was a breakthrough in biotech medicine when it was first developed about fifteen years ago,” explains Biotech expert Gérard Dine. “Its medical use is primarily for women suffering from osteoporosis. As a performance enhancing drug, it stimulates muscle tissue proliferation. The effect is not as dramatic as anabolic steroids, but it does not have the same androgenic effects.”
Enobosarm is classified as a non-specified substance by WADA, which means that any athlete could face a four-year suspension if caught using it, yet it has grown increasingly popular in both amateur and professional sport. “The Russians were the first to use it during the Olympics at Sochi in 2014,” adds Gérard Dine. “The chemical was undetectable at the time. Nowadays, the tests are more reliable and even the smallest of doses can be detected. The use of this product is increasingly widespread and it is easy to find online, under various different names”.
Accidental Exposure Rare
The fact that its use is becoming so widespread (like all SARM drugs) increases the risk of contamination. However, confirmed cases where athletes were eventually found to be innocent are extremely rare.“The problem is that some food supplements can have unwanted ingredients that make you test positive,” says Gérard Dine. “With a growing number of people seeking to get hold of the drug, you might inadvertently come into contact with someone who is using it”.
In any case, it is the athlete’s responsibility to explain the presence of a banned substance in their body. That can be a very tough battle to win, (even for a world-class fencer).
Translated by Alexis Hourson and Paul Vasselon.
Editing by Sam Trainor.