Social Media Post Leads To Ryan Lochte's 14-Month Doping Suspension

Ryan Lochte

A seemingly harmless social media post ended up getting Ryan Lochte a 14-month ban for doping. On May 24th, a photo was shared that showed the 12-time Olympic medalist receiving an IV injection of a legal substance. While the vitamin B complex he was using to recover was legal, the photo appeared to show Lochte receiving more than the allowed limit of 100 milliliters.

The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency saw the photo and opened an investigation, which Lochte fully cooperated with, and discovered that the swimmer did go over the maximum limit on intravenous injections. 

Intravenous infusions or injections in a volume greater than 100 mL within a 12-hour period are prohibited at all times – except for those legitimately received in the course of hospital treatment, surgical procedures, or clinical diagnostic investigation...

Lochte explained that he was not aware of the 100ml rule, and accepted his suspension

“It’s a hard sanction because I didn’t take anything illegal, but a rule is a rule,” he said. “I wasn’t too clear on the rules, but now I am. And I know there’s other athletes that don’t know this rule. I want to help them and make sure that other athletes don’t make the same mistake I did.”

Lochte's suspension was applied retroactively to May 24, the date that the photo as posted, and he will be eligible to return to the pool in July 2019. 

Photo: Getty Images


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