Following the announcement yesterday by the South African Institute for Drug-free Sport that Nedbank 360Life’s David George had tested positive for the banned substance EPO, and George’s subsequent admission of guilt, South African sports nutrition company Ultimate Sports Nutrition (USN) has terminated its association with the professional cyclist.
George was suspended by his team 360Life yesterday after his admission he had used EPO. A former road professional with teams including US Postal Service and Barloworld, George has in recent years focussed on endurance mountain biking events, including victory in stages of the Cape Epic.
In a statement released on Thursday, USN reiterated its zero tolerance policy on doping in sport. The company said it supplies its elite and professional ambassadors with product that has been certified as being free of prohibited substances on the World Anti-doping Association (WADA) list by HFL Sport Science in the United Kingdom.
“USN has invested a great deal of effort and funding in this screening process, which is logistically challenging and costly, but is currently the most comprehensive risk management process available to ensure sports supplements are safe for use by professional sportsmen and women,” said Albe Geldenhuys, USN founder and CEO.
USN was the first South African sports supplement brand to adheres to the procedure, which screens against banned substances on the WADA list.