Australia midfielder Luik opens up about doping ban imposed by Italian authorities

MELBOURNE - Aivi Luik, a midfielder for the Matildas, revealed in a podcast that she chose to remove herself from consideration for the Paris Olympics after being banned for three months by Italian anti-doping authorities. The ban was a result of a pain-killing injection she received two years ago.

The 39-year-old said the ban related to a cortisone injection she received from a doctor in March 2022 while playing for Naples-based club Pomigliano.

Nado Italia only notified her that she had committed an anti-doping rule violation on April 24 this year, six weeks before former coach Tony Gustavsson named his squad for the Paris Games, she told Australia's Sports Ambassador podcast.

"I was terrified at the thought of this affecting the (Australian) team," said Luik, who now plays for Swedish club Hacken.

"I was just so scared of the thought that maybe something like this comes out during the Olympic tournament, and what that would do for the girls and the team in general.

"So yeah, I had to call up Tony and just pull my name from the selection."

Luik said she had not failed an anti-doping test over the injection and denied wrongdoing.

However, she said Nado Italia had turned down a therapeutic use exemption (TUE) application filed by her club on her behalf after the injection was administered.

TUEs allow athletes to take substances banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency in medication to treat medical conditions.

The TUE, though, was the wrong type and had been sent to the wrong body, she added.

She said club officials informed her a few weeks after the injection that she was suspended for 60 days as a "wash-out period" to ensure her body was clean to play.

She did not play the remaining three games of the season and subsequently left the club.

Luik said she had fought unsuccessfully to clear herself before an Italian anti-doping tribunal, arguing that her injection was only banned in-competition and that she had taken it out of competition.

"They believed that there was a performance-enhancing risk with taking the substance," she said.

"They stated that I didn't intend to commit the violation and they found that I had a very slight amount of negligence and because of strict liability they gave me the three months."

Nado Italia and governing body Football Australia did not provide immediate comment.

Australia's soccer players union Professional Footballers Australia (PFA) said it would continue to support her with its full resources.

"Aivi’s case further highlights the need to establish an anti-doping system that respects the fundamental rights of athletes and is effective in pursuing its stated objectives," the PFA said in a statement.