(Sa kabila ng bagsak na drug test ni Brownlee) ASIAD GOLD SA GILAS PA RIN

WALANG magiging epekto ang pagbagsak ni Justin Brownlee sa doping test sa Hangzhou sa gold medal finish ng Gilas Pilipinas sa bsketball competition sa 19th Asian Games.

“The gold remains with us,” wika ni Philippine Olympic Commit-tee (POC) president Rep. Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino.

Ayon kay Tolentino, kung dalawa sa team-mates ni Brownlee ang nagpositibo rin sa drug test ay saka lamang babawiin ang gold medal ng bansa.

Tinukoy niya ang Article 11.2 ng Anti-Doping Rule ng International Oympic Committee na nagsasaad na sa ilalim ng “Consequences for Team Sports”, “If more than two members of a team in a Team Sport is found to have commit-ted an anti-doping rule violation … the CAS [Court of Arbitration for Sport] Anti-Doping Division may impose an appropriate sanction on the team (e.g., loss of points, Disqualification from a Competition, Event or the Olympic Games Rio 2016, or other sanction) as provided in the applicable rules of the relevant International Federation, in addition to any consequences imposed upon the individual Athletes committing the antidopting rule violation.”

Si Brownlee ang pangalawang atleta sa Team Philippines na nag-positibo sa doping test sa kanilang A Sample na kinuha sa Hangzhou Games.

Ang una ay si mountain bike cycling athlete Ariana Evangelista.

Sina Brownlee at Evangelista ay kapwa provisionally suspended hanggang hindi pa nasusuri ang resulta ng kanilang B sample.

Si Brownlee ay may hanggang October 19 para salungatin ang resulta ng kanyang A Sample sa pamamagitan ng angkop na pamamaraan na itinakda ng IOC, ITA at ng World Anti-Doping Agency.

Sinabi ni Tolentino na isinailalim din sa drug test ang teammates ni Brownlee, gayundin ang kanilang final opponent Jordan, na may isang player din na bumagsak sa test.

“All Brownlee needs is to prove his innocence in contesting the result if he allows testing his B Sample,” ani Tolentino.

Ipapataw ang two-year suspension kapag ang B Sample ay nagpositibo rin.