IFF announces today that Kittipong Somngam, a Thailand national team floorball player, has accepted a 9-month sanction for an anti-doping rule violation (ADRV).

Somngam, 22, tested positive for Sibutramine, a stimulant, as a result of a sample collected on 26.1.2018 at World Floorball Championships 2018 Qualifications Asia Oceania in Korea. However the laboratory in Seoul could not analyse the sample before the end of March due to the Olympic and Paralympic Games taking place in Korea.

Sibutramine is a substance in the class of Stimulants, which are prohibited under the International Floorball Federation (IFF) Anti-Doping Rules, which have adopted the World Anti-Doping Code and the World Anti-Doping Agency Prohibited List. Stimulants are listed as Specified Substances, and therefore the presence of those substances in an athlete’s sample can result in a reduced sanction.

Somngam accepted a nine-month period of ineligibility, which began on 26.1.2018, the date of the test.

John Liljelund, Secretary General of the IFF says:
– The IFF wants to remind all athletes about the danger of taking supplements without exactly knowing the ingredients. It is always the athlete’s responsibility to make sure that what they are taking is allowed, and actively study all information regarding prohibited substances and methods.

In an effort to aid athletes, as well as all support team members such as coaches and team managers, in understanding the rules applicable to them, IFF provides comprehensive instruction on its website on the testing process and prohibited substances, how to obtain permission to use a necessary medication, and the risks and dangers of taking supplements as well as performance-enhancing drugs. Further to this, all teams participating in major IFF events must undergo Anti-Doping education. For more information, visit: ANTI-DOPING and MEDICAL

IFF is responsible for the testing and results management process for athletes competing in the IFF Events.