Official statement: Miguel Soares Martins
16 Jan. 2025
The International Testing Agency (ITA), leading an independent anti-doping program for the International Handball Federation (IHF), confirms that it has notified Portuguese handball player Miguel Soares Martins of an Adverse Analytical Finding1 for exogenous testosterone.
The ITA reports that a sample collected from Portuguese player Miguel Soares Martins during an In-Competition anti-doping control at the 2024 EHF Euro on 13 January 2024 has returned an Adverse Analytical Finding for exogenous testosterone, a non-specified substance2. Exogenous testosterone is prohibited at all times under the World Anti-Doping Agency’s Prohibited List as an Anabolic Androgenic Steroid (S1.1).
The athlete has been notified of the case and has requested for the analysis of the B-sample.
If the B-sample analysis confirms the result of the A-sample, the case will be considered as a confirmed anti-doping rule violation and the athlete will have the opportunity to present his explanations for the result.
In accordance with the World Anti-Doping Code and Article 7.4.1 of the IHF Anti-Doping Rules, the athlete has been provisionally suspended with effect from 14 January 2025. The athlete has the right to challenge the provisional suspension and ask for its lifting.
Given that the case is underway, there will be no further comments made.
1 A report from a WADA-accredited laboratory that, consistent with the International Standard for Laboratories, establishes in a sample the presence of a prohibited substance or its metabolites or markers or evidence of the use of a prohibited method.
2 The sample was reported positive after being subject to further analysis based on the GC/C/IRMS method conducted to ensure that the origin of the Testosterone is exogenous. This is required under the WADA Technical Document for Detection of Synthetic Forms of Prohibited Substances by GC/C/IRMS. Depending on the circumstances, this additional method may be conducted by WADA-accredited laboratories months after the collection of a sample and its initial analysis.