"Muscular men are scared" - Lietuvos Rytas

Two Lithuanian bodybuilders are facing serious trouble for serious violations during a post-competition doping control in Marijampolė. One athlete refused to take a test and the other is suspected of attempting to falsify a sample.

At the same time that Živilė Balčiūnaitė was suspended from competition for suspicious doping test results, two more cases were on the doping controllers' desk.

After the Lithuanian Bodybuilding and Physical Fitness Cup in Marijampolė two weeks ago, two athletes shocked the representatives of the Anti-Doping Agency with a strange act.

Slammed the door and left

Nerijus Bružas took second place in the men's bodybuilding event and was invited by lot to the Doping Control Room.

However, a 25-year-old man unexpectedly left the testing room by banging on the door. He refused to take a doping test, an act that is equivalent to a positive doping test.

"We didn't understand why he flatly refused to take the doping test. He could have at least tried. The motives for such an action are unclear", wondered Ramutis Kairaitis, President of the Lithuanian Bodybuilding and Fitness Federation (LBCF).

N.Bružas can avoid disqualification because he is not a member of an LCCRF club.

There are four Bodybuilding and Fitness Federations in Lithuania, but only LKKRF has doping control in its competitions. However, this organisation allows athletes from other federations to participate in its tournaments.

"Formally, we cannot disqualify him for two years, because he was mistakenly supported as a member of our federation club," Kairaitis explained.The club in Ukmergė, represented by Bružas, had not yet completed all registration procedures. This is a formality, but he could not be tested.

He is a very talented man and if we don't disqualify him, he can make a big difference."

Water in the sample

Another bodybuilder invited for doping control, Valdas Miseikis, is suspected of attempting to falsify a urine sample.

"Maybe he added plain water to the sample because it was difficult to perform the test," said Kairaitis, "He was in pain for a long time and maybe his nerves got the better of him.

No one saw if he switched the sample, but more water appeared in the tube.

If he filled it with water, we'd like to find out why he did it."

In the Junior (U18) Bodybuilding Contest V.Miseikis, who took the second place, had water bottles at hand during the test. During the test athletes are offered water because it increases the amount of fluid in the body.

Although the bodybuilder filled a second sample after the scandal, the athlete from the Klaipėda club "Jėga ir grožis" should still be prosecuted for attempted fraud.

"Mišeikis is a promising guy, but now he will probably have to wait a few years," said Kairaitis, "Depending on the explanation, we will disqualify him for a few years. In addition, we still want to know what the results of the second test are."

A runner writes an explanation

This is the first time bodybuilders have been tested by doping controllers in Lithuania. Three athletes were to be tested after a competition in Marijampolė. The results of Raminta Valaitiene's test are not yet available.

This is a turbulent year for anti-doping campaigners.

While on average two Lithuanian athletes are convicted of using banned substances each year, this year two bodybuilders have already been charged with breaching the doping test rules, while Ž.Balčiūnaitė's case is still pending.

At the end of this week, the explanation written by the European champion and the medics should reach the Lithuanian Athletics Federation.

The document should be forwarded to the International Athletics Federation by 1 December.