Athlete blames cheap chicken after testing positive for doping

Dutch 4×100 relay Solomon Bockarie, who tested positive for the growth hormone GHRP-2 during an out-of-competition check earlier last month, has insed that he didn’t consume any banned substance to his knowledge.
“I don’t know how this product got into my body,” Bockarie was quoted the Netherlands public broadcaster, NOS. “I only know one thing for sure. And that is that I have not used doping. If anyone is vehemently against using banned stimulants, it’s me.”
“I have a lot of questions about this check and the results,” said Bockarie. “Let me emphasize that an athlete is at all times responsible for the substances found in his body. But in this case, so much is unclear that I would like some clarification.”
A report from NOS further suggested that Bockarie’s spokesperson Robbin Pieterman speculates that the hormone ended up in his system through cheap chicken he ate.

Oh boy, what a day it was yesterday! Broke the 10.2 barrier (10.13 SF), made the final and qualified for Rio! #100m pic.twitter.com/VfJ1A6sw0f
— Solomon Bockarie (@SolomonBockarie) July 8, 2016
According to Pieterman, the athlete tested positive after he consumed the chicken bought from the market in The Hague.
“It could be that this chicken had been treated with hormones and that he got this hormone in his body from eating this chicken,” Pieterman said. “Fortunately, Solomon still has pieces of this chicken at home. We will try to have it examined to show that the hormone entered Solomon’s body through this route.”

Bockarie was part of the Netherlands team at the 2016 and the 2020 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo respectively.