Bree cleared by Fina to compete in Beijing

SWIMMING NEWSANDREW BREE, Ireland's only swimmer with an A standard time for this year's Olympic Games in Beijing, will be eligible to compete in the summer games following a reprimand and warning from the governing body of the sport, Fina.

Bree, from Helen's Bay just outside Belfast, failed a drugs test after a urine sample tested positive for the banned substance Levmethamfetamine at the European Short Course Championships in Hungry last December. The Irish 200m breaststroke champion had reached the Olympic qualifying standard at the US National Championships in July 2007.

Bree's adverse finding was announced just last month and immediately placed his participation at the games in doubt, although, the World Anti-Doping Authority (Wada) had said that athletes could receive a "reduced sanction" if they established that the use of "such a specified substance was not intended to enhance sport performance".

The Irish Sports Council said at the time it had warned all its funded athletes about the dangers of using Vicks decongestant and had specifically listed it on a widely available booklet they had compiled. As a result, the 26-year-old had his funding stopped by the Irish Sports Council, although an official yesterday said that he would not lose out financially because he had not been banned.

Bree declined to have the B sample tested to confirm the initial result of the A sample and instead threw himself at the mercy of Fina, who accepted his explanation that he inadvertently used a US version of a Vicks inhaler, which contained the banned substance. The British version of the product does not.

In a statement released yesterday on behalf of the swimmer, Bree's opposition to the use of drugs was reiterated and it also expressed the relief of the swimmer. "Andrew used an over the counter Vicks Nasal Inhaler which he purchased in the USA; the US version of this product contains a banned substance and the Fina doping panel has stated it is 'convinced that the use of Levmethamfetamine was not intended to enhance his performance' and that Andrew had gone to 'all possible lengths to check that the medical product that he was using contained no such banned substance'," the statement read.

"Having accepted Andrew's explanation and noted his open and frank approach to the issue; the panel has issued has him with a reprimand and warning; the least possible sanction open to it according to its rules."

A relieved Bree added: "This is a huge relief that my ordeal is now over and I can continue with my preparations for Beijing. These last two months have been an extremely difficult and stressful time for both myself and my family and I am thrilled for everybody that this judgment has vindicated me.

"I have always opposed the use of drugs in sport and will continue to do so and I am deeply grateful for the support I have received from my family and a wide circle of friends and fellow swimmers who never doubted me over these last few months. And of course I would not be where I am now if it hadn't been for the extremely professional job delivered by my legal and scientific advisors. I am also grateful to Fina."

Bree made a full submission to the Fina Doping Panel on May 20th, which included a personal letter from him; a legal submission setting out his case; a report from leading chemical pathologist Dr Wheeler; various character references and photographs of the labelling of a medicinal product, the Vick Vapour Inhaler which he had used.

Bree became only the second Irish male swimmer to win a European silver at the short course championships staged in Dublin in 2003 (Gary O'Toole is the other), but then failed to qualify for the Athens Games in 2004.