An American man has been jailed for three months after pleading guilty to involvement in providing banned performance-enhancing drugs to athletes before the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.
Eric Lira, 44, was sentenced after becoming the first person to be charged under the Rodchenkov Anti-Doping Act – an American federal law that criminalises doping schemes that are intended to influence sports events.
Prosecutors said Lira presented himself as a “kinesiologist and naturopathic doctor” in distributing banned drugs.
Court papers quoted one track athlete who received illegal drugs from Lira, who after performing at the Olympics in 2021 wrote messages including, “Eric my body feel so good,”, “I am soooo happy,” and “whatever you did, is working so well”.
Lira, of El Paso, Texas, was also ordered to serve one year of supervised release and to forfeit $16,410 (£12,600).
The Rodchenkov Act was named after Grigory Rodchenkov, a Russian whistleblower who revealed a widespread doping programme in the country following the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi.
2024-02-21 21:25:16
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