Jesse Ewart, the Australian-born rider who declared for Ireland and has won several UCI-ranked races in recent years, has been suspended from competition by the UCI after an adverse finding in a doping test earlier this year.
In May he was added to the UCI’s list of provisionally suspended riders in an EPO-related case. Ewart had been riding for a Malaysian Continental squad, Terengganu Cycling Team, for the last couple of seasons.
He won the opening stage of Tour of Sharjah (2.2) in the United Arab Emirates back in January and followed up with a stage victory at Tour of Thailand (2.1) in April.
According to the notice published on the UCI’s website in May, the sample that has shown up the alleged adverse result – for EPO – was collected from Ewart on January 26th. That date coincides with his win in UAE, which was his first race of the 2024 season.
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Sport Integrity Australia has now issued a statement saying it "acknowledges that the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) has imposed a three-year period of Ineligibility" on Ewart for the "presence and/or use of a prohibited substance, namely Erythropoietin (EPO)".
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"Mr Ewart, a cyclist with Terengganu Cycling Team at the time, returned an Adverse Analytical Finding (AAF) from an In-Competition doping control test on 26 January 2024," the statement added.
"The substance EPO is listed under Class S2.1.1 (Erythropoietins (EPO) and Agents Affecting Erythropoiesis) under the World Anti-Doping Code – International Standard – Prohibited List 2024 (Prohibited List 2024). The substance EPO is a Non-Specified Substance and is prohibited at all times.
"Mr Ewart’s three-year period of Ineligibility commenced on 16 May 2024. Mr Ewart is ineligible to participate in any sports that have adopted a World Anti-Doping Code compliant anti-doping policy until 15 May 2027.
"He is also not permitted to compete in a non-Signatory professional league or Event organised by a non-Signatory International Event organisation or a non-Signatory national-level event organisation.
"Additionally, Mr Ewart’s results from the date of sample collection (26 January 2024) until the start of the provisional suspension (16 May 2024) will be disqualified. Mr Ewart has also received a monetary fine of 7,000 CHF."
