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Everything We Know About Nick Backstrom, Banned Substances, and the Sochi Olympics

By Peter Hassett (@peterhassett) on February 23, 2014
  1 Comment

Photo: David J. Phillip

Nicklas Backstrom did not participate in Sunday’s gold medal game against Canada. Originally reported as suffering from a migraine, we later learned Backstrom tested positive for a banned substance. Swedish hockey officials have stated that drug is an allergy medicine.

Here’s everything we know so far.

After participating in every game so far, Backstrom was unexpectedly announced to miss Sunday’s game early in the morning (Eastern time).

Initial reports said Backstrom was suffering from a migraine. Backstrom, otherwise known as an iron-man player, has a history of migraines and has missed time due to them in the past.

Greg Wyshynski and Yahoo Sports broke the news that Backstrom had tested positive for a banned substance, presumably allergy medicine. UPDATE: It was Zyrtec D.

The banned substance Backstrom is alleged to have tested positive for is pseudoephedrine. Pseudoephedrine is the active ingredient in Claritin and Sudafed. Those drugs have legitimate uses– particularly as decongestants, but they are also widely abused in pro sports. The 2013 edition of the World Anti-Doping Agency’s list of prohibited substances includes pseudoephedrine as a stimulant under section S6.b. If a urine test detects more than 150 micrograms per milliliter, the athlete is in violation of international rules.

Swedish Olympic Committee spokesman Bjorn Folin says Backstrom has been taking allergy medicine for seven years. In the past seven years, Backstrom has participated in three World Championships and two Olympics. He had not been disqualified from any tournament until now.

The IOC committee has previously found no competitive advantage in using pseudoephedrine but has upheld suspensions and disqualifications regardless of the effect or the athlete’s intent.

Earlier this week, Latvian hockey player Vitalijs Pavlovs was expelled from the games for taking a specified stimulant. Pavlovs said his KHL club, Dinamo Riga, put him on food supplements. Findings like Pavlovs’ and Backstrom’s are considered more likely to be inadvertent and generally carry less severe punishment.

Swedish representatives are not happy about the finding.

The Swedish team is not expected to receive any punishment for the drug test, but Backstrom may not receive a silver medal for his participation. There is precedent for this. In 2000, Romanian gymnast Andreea Răducan was stripped of her gold medal after testing positive for pseudoephedrine in her cold medicine.

This post will be updated as we learn more.

Updates

Here is Nick at the press conference, via gd.se:

backy

Tweets from the press conference.

Conspiracy theories getting tossed around.

The test was performed on the 19th, but Sweden was not notified until the 23rd.

@PeteCuster pointed us to this document from the World Anti-Doping Agency, which states that one day’s dose of Zyrtec wouldn’t put someone over the limit, but multiple days could.

A possible explanation as to how Backstrom had been eligible for other IIHF tournaments over the last seven years:

Here’s the full statement from the NHL:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE / FEBRUARY 23, 2014

STATEMENT REGARDING NICKLAS BACKSTROM

SOCHI, RUSSIA (Feb. 23, 2014) – National Hockey League Deputy
Commissioner Bill Daly today released the following statement regarding
Nicklas Backstrom:

“We understand that Nicklas Backstrom tested positive for a substance
banned ‘in competition’ by the International Olympic Committee. It is our
further understanding that the positive test was the result of a common
allergy medication taken by the player knowingly, with the approval of the
team doctor and without the intention of gaining an illegal or improper
performance-enhancing benefit. In addition, the specific substance that
resulted in the positive test is not currently on the League’s Prohibited
Substances List.

“Subject to confirmation of the facts as we understand them, and
given the fact that the substance is neither prohibited in the NHL nor was
used in an improper manner here, we do not anticipate there being any
consequences relative to Nicklas’ eligibility to participate in games for
the Washington Capitals.”

And here’s the full statement from the team:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – February 23, 2014

Statement from the Washington Capitals on Nicklas Backstrom

ARLINGTON, Va. – Nicklas Backstrom did not participate in Team Sweden’s Olympic gold-medal game on Sunday due to the allergy medication he has been taking intermittently for seven years, including this season while playing for the Washington Capitals to combat severe allergies. The medicine was approved by the Swedish national team. It is not anticipated that this will impact his participation in NHL games.

From Aftonbladet on television, translated via Magnus Cadelin (@DenTadd):

Sweden’s Team Doctor, Dr. Björn Waldebäck: “He asked me if he could take one pill and I said yes. I’m responsible for Nicklas getting caught. I’ll have to put a big question mark on myself for giving a pill with a banned substance to an athlete.”

And: “I feel a huge responsibility for this. But we couldn’t anticipate the consequences of something that isn’t performance-enhancing.”

More from that Aftonbladet TV report, this time from the head of development for Team Sweden, Tommy Boustedt, again translated by Magnus:

“The NHL and the NHLPA is extremely annoyed by this. They’re saying it’s been dealt with in a amateurish way.”

“[Backstrom will] be playing with Washington on Wednesday but misses out on this [gold medal] game. It feels horrible.” [Ed. note- The Capitals will play on Thursday.]

When asked what would’ve been a proper consequence: “A warning.”

“Every other player has allergies. In Nicklas’ case, I think it’s pollen. He has to take his medicine to do his job. It’s absurd to suspend him. This is a miscarriage of justice!”

[Ed. note-  The exact translation was “judicial murder.” “Miscarriage of justice” is the corresponding idiom in English.]

“We were really sad, Nicklas and I. We shed a couple of tears together.”

“If this ends up at the IIHF, he’ll probably be acquitted.”

“We might end up suing the IOC.”

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