The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) announces that the Greek rider Christos Volikákis has been sanctioned with a period of ineligibility of three years following an Anti-Doping Rule Violation (ADRV) for the presence of Selective Androgen Receptor Modulators (SARMs) of LGD-4033 metabolite(1) .
In accordance with the World Anti-Doping Code (the Code) and the UCI Anti-Doping Regulations (UCI ADR), the period of ineligibility started on 15 March 2024 and is effective until 14 March 2027 (included).
The ADRV results from the reanalysis(2) of a sample collected on 16 August 2016 during the Rio 2016 Summer Olympic Games, an event from which the rider was disqualified.
The case has been resolved by way of an acceptance of consequences as provided for by the Code and the UCI ADR.
The UCI will not comment any further.
(1) LGD-4033 and its metabolites are Prohibited Substances listed under class S1.2 [Other Anabolic Agents] of the Prohibited List which is maintained by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and adopted by the UCI.
(2) This reanalysis occurred in the framework of the reanalysis programme led by the International Testing Agency (ITA) on behalf of the IOC, focusing on samples collected during the Rio 2016 Summer Olympic Games. These reanalyses constitute an integral component of the comprehensive anti-doping programme conducted independently by the ITA on behalf of the IOC since 2018. They strengthen anti-doping endeavours by serving as an additional deterrent against doping and broadening the spectrum of potential rule violations identified beyond the initial sample analysis. The reanalysis programme enables further testing to be carried out based on updated information, notably thanks to investigations, or when detection methods evolve as a result of advances in scientific technology.