Shawn Barber's Edmonton tryst results in positive test for cocaine
In Shawn Barber's mind, he was taking the right precautions. But a late night hook-up with an Edmonton woman he met through Craigslist caused the elite pole vaulter to test positive for cocaine, risking his participation in the Rio Olympics.
Still, a tribunal from the Sports Dispute Resolution Centre of Canada found he had ingested cocaine unwittingly by kissing a woman who had used the drug. The organization allowed Barber to compete at the Olympics, where he recorded a disappointing performance.
The reasons for the decision were just released on Thursday.
An Edmonton encounter
In July, Barber — a world pole vaulting champion — was in Edmonton to compete at the national championships.
The tribunal heard that Barber, 22, met an on-line date through an ad he posted on Craigslist. He used a pseudonym in the ad, specifying he wanted to meet a woman who was drug-free and disease-free. He also indicated he wanted a "professional."
I didn't know that kissing a girl could transfer coke.- Shawn Barber
Barber told the hearing he wanted to "find a partner for the week or weekend" as "a way to relieve stress." Acknowledging under cross-examination that he wanted to have "a sexual encounter of some sort," he said he stayed away from bars and clubs because of their association with drugs and alcohol.
At the hearing, the woman he met was described as a mother of two, someone Barber thought would be "more cautious, reserved."
In her testimony, the woman said she took cocaine before coming to the hotel room to meet Barber.
While she was in the room, she took several more doses of cocaine including some in the bathroom. She also said she consumed a 26-ounce bottle of vodka.
According to testimony, Barber didn't ingest any cocaine and the adults kissed a number of times during their 30-minute encounter.
The encounter was described by both as a lone incident and that no money was exchanged. He competed the next day.
'A complete shock'
A the national competition, Barber won his event and set a record. He underwent a drug test and about two weeks later, learned he had tested positive for cocaine.
Barber testified that his positive result was a "complete shock."
Even while talking to reporters on the conference call, Barber felt he had taken the right precautions to avoid any problems.
"I didn't know that kissing a girl could transfer coke, I didn't know that I could test positive for that," he said.
The Sports Dispute Resolution Centre of Canada hearing happened on the day of the opening ceremonies for the Rio Olympics, Aug. 5.
Barber's lawyer Paul Greene told the doping tribunal his client is a clean athlete, and that his entire future had been jeopardized because of this sexual encounter.
The panel handed down its decision days later, on Aug. 11.
Barber, who was facing a possible four year ban, avoided any sanctions and was free to compete in Rio.
"This has been a learning experience for Shawn, he is a young athlete learning how to compete on the field of play, and prepare away from it," Athletics Canada said in a statement on Thursday.
Disappointing finish at Olympics
At the Olympics, Barber was considered a top contender but ended up in 10th place.
Speaking from Ohio on a conference call with reporters, Barber felt he has moved on from the "stressful event' and that it in no way had any impact on his disappointing finish in Brazil.
"I gave it a 100 per cent and the medals I came home with were the medals I came home with. And this time it was zero, and that's just a part of sport," he said.
"I think that you add a little stress when you're dealing with outside factors and that could have been an issue, but other than that, it's been no issue."
Barber told reporters his encounter with the woman was simply a form of on-line dating, and that it is an acceptable way for people to meet these days. He said he didn't have any regrets.
"I have dreams of doing good things in this sport and hopefully jumping very high, and I want to keep making efforts towards that."
The Gasquet Panel
During the hearing, Barber's lawyer raised the case of tennis player Richard Gasquet, who also met a woman in a bar and kissed her after she consumed cocaine. He also tested positive for minute amounts of the drug.
A tribunal accepted the athlete's argument.
The Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport took a different view of Barber's behaviour, arguing he didn`t do everything possible to guard against a positive drug result.
Arbitrator Ross Dumoulin sided with Barber, but noted the panel strongly recommends athletes avoid engaging in such contact.