Closed hearing on Bray's drug test

By TERRY MADDAFORD

Trent Bray is up against it as he prepares to face the Swimming New Zealand tribunal, which will decide his sporting future.

The president of the association, Phil Pritchard, said the regulations were clear on issues of positive drugs tests.

"It is not a question of 'how' or 'whether.' The offence is to have a banned substance in your body," said Mr Pritchard.

"The only thing an athlete can bring to the tribunal is any information that could vary the minimum sentence that such an offence demands."

Bray returned a positive test to the banned steroid nandrolone in an out-of-competition test last November and this week will face the tribunal. He has already been forced out of the New Zealand surf lifesaving team.

"We have 12 - including lawyers, medical advisers and swimming people - on our panel, from which we will choose the tribunal," said Mr Pritchard.

"The minimum number is three. There is no stipulated maximum. We are selecting the tribunal now and they will sit later this week at a closed hearing in Auckland.

"The key is to give the athlete a fair chance to put his defence."

Mr Pritchard was not prepared to say when a statement would be made by Swimming NZ but confirmed that first 26-year-old Bray and the sport's governing body, Fina, would have to be formally notified.

"But it all has to be done within 14 days of the notification of the second [confirmed] test. That means by Tuesday next week we must have the matter finalised."

It is not until the result of the second test is known that the athlete's name is revealed. But Bray chose to tell Swimming NZ ahead of that formal notification that he was the swimmer involved.

"He did not want other swimmers to be under suspicion," said Mr Pritchard. "While the tests were taken by the New Zealand Sports Drug Agency on November 22, they weren't tested [in Sydney] until after Christmas.

"We were first notified on January 14 - but no name revealed. The result of the second test was received Thursday a week ago."

Bray's ex-coach, Mark Bone, said last night: "I'm stunned by it all."

Bray is now coached by Australian John Marshall.

All Black doctor John Mayhew said nandrolone was normally taken in tablet form.

Others said it could be injected but Dr Mayhew was not sure. "It would be difficult to take it unwittingly," he said. "There are a lot of benefits from a substance like this, including muscle development and the ability to recover quickly from intensive training."

When Chinese swimmers were accused of taking growth hormone in their sudden emergence as a top swimming nation, many felt nandrolone or a similar substance was involved.