The UCI has reacted to the Clenbuterol positive of Michael Rogers by making it clear that they had taken the risk of food contamination at the Tour of Beijing very seriously and had put measures in place to protect the athletes. The federation promises that Clenbuterol positives will be handled on a case-to-case basis and that they will discuss the rules with WADA and other relevant parties.

The world of sport has again been rocked by doping news after it was announced that Michael Rogers and Jonathan Breyne have both tested positive for Clenbuterol after taking part in Chinese races. The news have again opened a discussion about the risk of food contamination in certain parts of the world like China and Mexico.

The substance is on the list of banned substances but China has a known problem with the black market use of the chemical, which can act as a lean meat promoter in animals. In 2011, this forced WADA to issue a warning, asking athletes to be careful when they competed in the Asian country.

Rogers tested positive at the Japan Cup after having taken part in the Tour of Beijing a few days earlier. The Australian has claimed not to have ingested the substance deliberately and says that food contamination is the likely reason for his doping positive.

The Tour of Beijing has received the backing from the UCI right from the beginning, with the international federation being involved in its organization and being keen to use it to globalize the sport. However, the federation claims to be aware of the risk of food contamination and says that they had taken initiatives to protect the athletes.

“The Tour of Beijing organisers, the UCI, the local authorities and the teams have been discussing the issue of food safety since the first edition of the race in 2011,” UCI spokesman Louis Chenaille told VeloNation. “Measures put in place as a result of these discussions include the employment by the organisers of a dedicated cook to supervise food in all the hotels which house the riders during the race.”

Chenaille was keen to stress that the positives will be handled on a case-to-case basis. In 2010, Alberto Contador famously tested positive for the substance in the Tour de France but claimed to have ingested it through Spanish meat. He didn't escape a ban.

“The UCI and WADA are clearly aware that there is a risk of food contamination in certain regions/countries such as China and Mexico that can cause adverse analytical findings for Clenbuterol,” Chenaille said. “Currently the presence of Clenbuterol is considered as an anti-doping rule violation which is investigated on a case by case basis.”

Chenaille added that the UCI will discuss with WADA whether the rules need to be modified.

“The UCI will be discussing this issue with all parties concerned, particularly with WADA, to see if there are improvements which can be made to the current regulatory structure and the arrangements in place at the race,” he said. 

Breyne and Rogers are both provisionally suspended and are waiting for their national federations to determine whether they have committed an anti-doping rule violation. Breyne has tried to commit suicide after learning about the positive test.