Christian Craig | FIM Suspension Lifted, Permitted To Race
Share
Over the weekend, Christian Craig made the trip to Switzerland to appeal the two-year suspension from competition issued by the FIM and WADA. During review of his case on Monday at the Court of Arbitration for Sport, the rider and FIM reached a settlement in Craig’s favor and amended the two-year ban to end on December 31st. With this news, the GEICO Honda rider will be able to race in the 2020 Monster Energy Supercross Series.
A urine sample collected from the GEICO Honda rider at the 2018 Daytona Supercross tested positive for a prohibited substance (Heptaminol, an amino alcohol that is classified as a cardiac stimulant in medicine), which Craig has stated was in a contaminated supplement. Although something on Craig’s part caused the incident, the FIM’s delayed notification to the race soon became the larger problem; Craig was notified of his failed test over ten months after the sample was collected.
“I have spent the last six months testing myself & everything I’ve ever used to find the source. With a lot of research, I am convinced that my positive test came from a contaminated supplement. I have learned many supplements include ingredients that are sourced from all around the world. Which makes it nearly impossible to guarantee non-contaminated ingredients, especially a year later,” he stated in the initial social media post in June. Details of the situation were kept quiet until that time, when Craig publically announced what had occurred in the past months and how he intended to work with the FIM.
Over the summer Craig was issued a two-year suspension from all professional competition by FIM, which the ruling body back-dated to March 2018 and would be lifted in March 2020. Craig immediately announced that he would appeal the decision through the Court of Arbitration for Sport, an international judicial body that rules over matters in athletic competition that is based in Switzerland.
Craig shared the news with us on Monday shortly after he was notified of the CAS ruling, though necessary paperwork pushed the public announcement until later in the week. Craig continued his riding and training routine since the suspension announcement in June and now cleared to race, he intends to line up for the 250 West Coast region of the 2020 Monster Energy Supercross Series. “It was all like a fairy tale for me,” he said. “The way it all played out was unbelievable. We reached a settlement before I even got to testify. It is a huge weight off my shoulders. My wife Paige and I literally broke down to tears in the room when we heard the news. I am excited and ready to give Supercross my all in January.”
