Matt Moss suspension finalised
While Jake Moss pleaded guilty to using performance enhancing drugs in 2016, his twin brother Matt has continued to adamantly reject the results of drug tests that picked up extremely minor traces of the banned substance Ostarine from a sample taken at the Murray Bridge MX Nationals event in 2016.
While Jake had high levels Ostarine found in his blood, many times that found in Matt’s sample, the acceptable level under anti-doping codes is zero. Matt has suggested that he might have taken a sip of Jake’s drink at some point, as they were not only twin brothers but also teammates at the time, and was at a loss as to otherwise come up with any way the substance could have entered his body. Jake was trying to recover from a shoulder injury and Ostarine works in much the same way as anabolic steroids, and is used medicinally overseas to combat muscle wasting and osteoporosis, but is not available for any legal purpose in Australia.
Today the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority confirmed the decision of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) to sanction Moss with a four year ban, backdated to 15 July 2016 to account for time served under a provisional suspension.
Moss will be ineligible to participate, as an athlete or support person, in any sports that have adopted a World Anti-Doping Agency compliant anti-doping policy until 15 July 2020.
Jake has moved on with his life and now manages a farm in Queensland with his partner Alex and son Grayson.
Matt runs a fencing and machine operating business around the Shoalhaven area and Sydney, but has not completely ruled out an eventual return to competition. Matt and partner Sophie have a one-year-old son Jeager, and another baby on the way due in February.
Official M.A. / ASADA Statement issued today
The Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority (ASADA) today acknowledged the decision of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) to sanction former Australian Motocross Champion Matt Moss for the presence and use of a prohibited substance.
Mr Moss was subject to an intelligence-led test at the Murray Bridge round of the MX Nationals in 2016. His sample was analysed at the Australian Sports Drug Testing Laboratory, part of the National Measurement Institute, which detected the presence of Ostarine and its metabolites.
Ostarine is a Selective Androgen Receptor Modulator (SARM) which is banned at all times in sport and is not approved for human use in Australia, except for experimental research purposes. The US Food and Drug Administration recently warned that SARMs pose serious health concerns, including increased risk of heart attack, stroke and life-threatening liver toxicity.
As a result of the CAS decision, Mr Moss was given a four year ban, backdated to 15 July 2016 to account for time served under a provisional suspension. The ban also includes the disqualification of any results from the date the sample was taken, as well as the forfeiture of any medals, points or prize.
Mr Moss will be ineligible to participate, as an athlete or support person, in any sports that have adopted a World Anti-Doping Agency compliant anti-doping policy until 15 July 2020.
