POC Will Not Open Justin Brownlee B Sample on Doping Test
The Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) will no longer appeal to open the doping test B sample of Gilas Pilipinas player Justin Brownlee.
Justin Brownlee will just have to wait to see if anything will be imposed on him after failing the drug test at the 19 Asian Games. The Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) President, Bambol Tolentino, has confirmed that an appeal to open Justin Brownlee’s B sample following his failed doping test at the 19th Asian Games will not be pursued.
Based on the previous report, Brownlee was announced tested positive during the recently concluded 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, China. The decision not to request the opening of the B sample was made due to a previous agreement between the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) and Brownlee.
According to Tolentino, Brownlee will no longer open sample B of his urine to appeal his positivity to cannabis or marijuana. Sample B comes from the same urine source as Sample A and produces the same outcome, so opening it is unnecessary and involves additional expenses, based on the article of One Sports.
The final decision regarding any potential suspension for the Ginebra import will be left to the International Testing Agency (ITA). Tolentino stated, “We will just wait for the final decision of ITA on whatever decision. It will be reported to FIBA, then FIBA will refer it to SBP.”
If Brownlee is banned from professional basketball, Barangay Ginebra San Miguel will be required to seek a replacement import for the 2023 PBA Commissioner’s Cup. Brownlee is currently in the United States after his participation in helping Gilas Pilipinas secure the gold medal at the Asian Games.
On another note, the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) has put forward the idea that Brownlee may have unintentionally ingested medications containing marijuana during his recovery from foot surgery in the United States. This speculation is based on the fact that medical marijuana is legal in many U.S. states.
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