THE SQUIZ

Sports Integrity Australia (SIA) has abandoned its investigation into Aussie middle-distance runner Peter Bol. As Oz’s anti-doping organisation, SIA suspended Bol in January pending an investigation after failing a test for the banned substance EPO. In February, when his B sample returned an “atypical finding” (meaning it was neither positive nor negative), he was free to return to training but remained under investigation. And yesterday, it was announced he’s in the clear. Bol didn’t try to hide his delight, posting to Instagram, “I have been exonerated! It was a false positive like I have said all along!” And he said world anti-doping officials have “agreed to review the EPO testing process to prevent future false positives. No one should ever experience what I’ve gone through this year.”

BACK IT UP A BIT… 

You’d remember Bol as the Perth boy originally from what’s now South Sudan. His family came to Oz on humanitarian visas when he was a kid. Fast forward to the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, and he became the first Australian in 53 years to make the men’s 800m final, where he finished 4th – the best result for an Aussie man in more than 3 decades. But last year, the positive test result was leaked to the media – which meant what should have been a confidential process has played out in public. And that’s hurt Bol… Supporters say he was on track to win Young Australian of the Year in January, but news of the positive test just days out from the announcement scuttled his chances. He also says he has suffered permanent damage to his reputation. While consistently denying any wrongdoing, he reckons the episode means “people are going to think you’re on the juice” no matter how he performs from here on in. 

SO WHAT’S NEXT? 

Commentators say serious questions remain about “the uncertainty and unfair scrutiny” Bol has faced. For SIA’s part, it welcomed the World Anti-Doping Agency’s review of its EPO testing regime and pointed to the process getting to the right result. “Athletes in Australia should have confidence in the anti-doping system that has allowed Sports Integrity Australia to conduct a thorough investigation,” it said. As for Bol, he’s got 2 things on his mind: this month’s World Athletics Championships in Hungary and next year’s Paris Olympics. “If I can, I want to go win the damn thing. I’m trying to prove a lot of people wrong,” he said in March.