Dope-ban triathlete hits out at Hong Kong Spartan Race organisers for not letting him compete for prize money
Ivan Lo Ching-hin protests his innocence after last-minute exclusion from elite category
Former Hong Kong triathlete Ivan Lo Ching-hin protested his innocence as organisers of the Hong Kong Spartan Race made a last-minute decision not to allow him to compete in the elite category of Saturday’s event.
Since the event is not governed by the Sports Federation & Olympic Committee of Hong Kong, nor a signatory to the World Anti-Doping Agency’s code, Lo was not breaking any rules by competing.
But in a statement in the small hours of Saturday morning, Michael Goodwin, Spartan’s Asia-Pacific managing director, said Lo would not be allowed to compete in the elite category, for which prize money of HK$17,500 was on offer for first place. Saturday’s event was the first leg of the Asia-Pacific Championships, for which US$50,000 in cash and prizes is on offer.
“Spartan is strongly committed to ... ensuring that our elite and competitive category athletes compete with fairness, transparency and sportsmanship and as such, we have deemed Lo ineligible to compete for points and rewards in our races during his period of ineligibility recognised under HKADC [Hong Kong Anti-Doping Committee] and the world anti-doping code,” said Goodwin.
