COLORADO SPRINGS (November 28, 2006) - The United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) announced today that Genevieve Jeanson of Lachine, Quebec, Canada, an athlete in the sport of cycling, has accepted a two-year period of ineligibility after her sample was reported positive for the prohibited substance recombinant human erythropoietin (EPO).

As a synthetic hormone, EPO stimulates the body’s production of red blood cells, thereby increasing oxygen transport and aerobic power. EPO is a prohibited substance under the rules of the Union Cycliste International (UCI) and USADA, both of which have adopted the World Anti-Doping Agency’s Prohibited List.

Jeanson's two-year period of ineligibility begins on July 25, 2005, the day on which she provided a sample as part of the USADA out-of-competition testing program. She is disqualified from all competitive results obtained on or subsequent to July 25, 2005. USA Cycling, the national governing body for the sport in the United States and the organization through which Jeanson is licensed, will carry out the sanction.

Jeanson, 25, initially requested a hearing to contest the positive test result. She also sought several extensions to prepare her defense, which were granted by the American Arbitration Association/North American Court of Arbitration for Sport (AAA/CAS) arbitration panel. USADA did not object to the extension requests by Jeanson since she was serving a provisional suspension and not competing.

USADA is responsible for the testing and results management process for athletes in the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Movement. USADA is equally dedicated to preserving the integrity of sport through research initiatives and educational programs.

Put on line on November 28, 2006 by SVP