On July 4, 2023, Croatian freediving athletes Vitomir Maricic and Petar Klovar underwent an unofficial luggage search upon arriving at the annual Vertical Blue freediving competition. Conducting the controversial search was event organizer and fellow athlete William Trubridge and off-duty Royal Bahamas police officers. Later that day, Maricic and Klovar also underwent an official doping control by a Bahamian doping control officer.
But after Vertical Blue posted an official statement describing the outcome of the search, along with a video of the drug blisters allegedly found in their bags that included secretly recorded and heavily edited audio clips, a social media controversy unfolded. The freediving world couldn’t stop talking about the search itself, the alleged performance-enhancing substances the athletes were accused of carrying, and each freediving record-governing body’s response to the accusations. Even though Maricic’s and Klovar’s doping control results eventually came back negative, they continued facing heavy criticism from users on social media.
However, Maricic and Klovar were not the only ones on the radar at Vertical Blue 2023. US freediving athlete Tory George also underwent doping control on the evening of July 4th. While he has remained relatively quiet on the subject, he has now agreed to share his experience, including the aftermath, with the public.
Freediving Doping Controversy
After 12 months of extensive investigation, including over 400 hours of research and interviews by author Kristina Zvaritch, DeeperBlue.com is exclusively releasing this four-part series about doping in freediving. The series is inspired by the events that preceded the 2023 edition of the renowned Vertical Blue freediving competition and its aftermath. Kristina received no compensation for this investigation.
The series includes the following articles:
- Freediving Doping Controversy: Part 1 – Everything You Need to Know About Vertical Blue 2023
- Freediving Doping Controversy: Part 2 – What Happened to Tory George? (this article)
- Freediving Doping Controversy: Part 3 – Examining the Drugs in Question
- Freediving Doping Controversy: Part 4 – When Ethics Are Forgotten
A Note about WADA, the Code, and International Standards
Every step of the doping control process and subsequent Results Management is outlined in various World Anti-Doping Code (WADA) documents, including the core document called the ‘Code’ and eight International Standards that maintain consistency across anti-doping organizations. When a sports organization becomes a Signatory to the Code, they are responsible for complying with the Code and International Standards.
Complying with the proper anti-doping procedures outlined by WADA is essential for protecting athletes’ health, ensuring fair competition, maintaining public confidence in sports, and upholding the ethical values upheld in athletic competitions. An organization or individual’s failing to follow these procedures and standards threatens the key principles of fair play, athlete health, and the integrity of sports competitions.
US freediving athlete Tory George maintains that his rights were violated during his doping control on July 4, 2023, the day of the Vertical Blue 2023 competition itself, and in the following weeks and months.
Tory George’s Experience with Vertical Blue Doping Control
On July 4, 2023, athletes who had arrived early on Long Island, Bahamas, for the upcoming Vertical Blue freediving competition gathered on the beach to celebrate with drinks and dancing. The annual event was scheduled for June 20-30, but many competitors were already present for pre-competition training. Tory George, who has been sober for 16 years, spent his time dancing and sweating, replenishing with fruit and plenty of water to fight dehydration. Around 7:00 p.m., those nearby started receiving phone calls that a doping control officer (DCO) was looking for George to administer a doping control.
Note: Two freediving record-governing bodies hold competitions according to their own rules and regulations: the World Underwater Federation (known by its French acronym ‘CMAS’) and AIDA International (International Association for the Development of Apnea).
George knew that CMAS could locate any individual at any point in time for out-of-competition testing as they are a WADA Code Signatory. But he had never experienced this before at an AIDA competition (who is not yet a Code Signatory), and he knew that Vertical Blue’s 2023 event was being held according to AIDA rules.
Meeting the DCO
Tory George went to the location specified by the DCO. Upon meeting and being presented with the DCO’s ID badge, George inquired whether the doping test was affiliated with AIDA or CMAS. The DCO called the Bahamas Anti-Doping Commission (BADC) Executive Director, who clarified that neither organization was involved and that the doping control was being privately funded.
George had never heard of a private individual ordering doping control, and a strong sense of doubt began to creep into George’s mind, leaving him feeling that the situation was outside standard doping control practices. “With my limited understanding of my rights at this time and doping protocol in general, I was scared, and I felt entirely powerless. Like I needed a lawyer,” he expressed to me.
George wanted confirmation from the event organizer and fellow athlete William Trubridge before continuing, so he left the DCO to try to find Trubridge. George was surprised that he was allowed to go, as he recalled undergoing doping control in Kas, Turkey, and how he wasn’t allowed to leave without supervision. This is because, in typical out-of-competition doping controls, DCOs are obligated not to let an athlete out of sight without a chaperone until they have provided a sample.
Note: Article 7.3.6 of the International Standards for Testing and Investigations states that DCOs can approve athletes to leave the doping control station under certain conditions. If a DCO does not grant their approval, they would report a Failure to Comply, which the Testing Authority would investigate. However, this is not the case with George – it seems the DCO didn’t note a Failure to Comply since George was never notified of one.
Tory George questions William Trubridge
When Tory George finally reached William Trubridge on the phone, Trubridge confirmed that he was indeed the private individual funding the doping control. George had questions: “Why is it only me and the Croatians getting tested? And where are the results going if you’re the one that paid for it?” In the beginning, Trubridge told George that he would be testing others and clarified he wouldn’t get the results – only AIDA officials, AIDA judges, and AIDA International themselves would receive the results.
“But then, towards the end of the conversation, he told me he was removing himself from the competition and that he would be getting the results,” George said in our interview. “I felt more confused than ever – why did he immediately say two different things, all within the same conversation?”
From Part 1 of this series – Trubridge told me in an interview that he thinks he officially dropped out of Vertical Blue 2023 as an athlete “sometime in June.” When I asked him what the process is for removing himself, he explained, “I removed my name from the spreadsheets and then sent an email to the webmaster who handles the website saying ‘can you take my name off the ‘in’ list for the athletes’ and that went live straight away. And so any athlete can see at any time what the ‘in’ list is for the event.” However, a webpage archive from July 3, 2023, just one day before the luggage search, showed him still on the list of competitors.
The Sample Collection
Even though everything up to that point didn’t match his previous experience with doping control, Tory George felt he had nothing to hide. So, he returned to the DCO and asked to have a photo of his ID taken.
As the DCO presented his badge, George noticed that the expiration date had passed five months ago and pointed this out to the DCO. The DCO told him that if he scanned the QR code on the badge, the results would show that he was up to date online. George tried scanning the QR code, but the badge’s plastic holder prevented his phone from reading it correctly. He told the DCO, “The badge probably has to come out of its case,” but the DCO simply returned his ID badge. I asked George why he didn’t challenge the point further. “It was late, and I had to dive the next morning and already felt stressed. I just wanted things to be over,” he told me.
The DCO gave George a physical copy of the VB Doping Control Policy and Procedures (a document unique to Vertical Blue that stated that along with WADA’s prohibited list of performance-enhancing drugs, there were additional prohibited drugs, possible random baggage searches, and more).
This was George’s first time seeing this document. When he registered for Vertical Blue 2023, he remembered that he only had to check a few boxes, but he had never seen the VB Doping Control Policy and Procedures document in its complete form.
From Part 1 of this series – In an Instagram comment, Trubridge claimed the VB Doping Control Policy and Procedures document was online before athletes pre-registered in February. However, archived Vertical Blue ‘News’ pages from March, May, and June do not show the document listed. It first appeared on a July 10 webpage archive, six days after the luggage search incident. When directly asked about when the document was placed on the website, Trubridge seemed unaware of its presence there. He went on to say, “Very few people actually asked to see the policies and procedures,” and that they “probably could have” attached it to the registration form, but interested athletes could just ask to see it. Trubridge further elaborated that an athlete asking to see the policies could be seen as a “piece of information” about that athlete.
After George provided the urine sample, he and the DCO noticed that the sample was very clear. The DCO checked the urine specific gravity (a measurement of how many particles are in a person’s urine compared with water), and it came back 1.002; the standard minimum for collecting urine for dope testing is 1.005. A urine specific gravity of 1.002 means that urine is diluted, resulting from drinking too much fluids or a health condition.
The DCO told George that he must collect samples with a urine specific gravity of 1.005 and higher, so he called back the Executive Director of the BADC. By this time, it was well after midnight, and the DCO told her he had to leave early. She directed him to get another sample; however, the DCO only waited five minutes before having George provide the second sample, showing an identical urine specific gravity of 1.002. The DCO then concluded the sample collection process and did not offer to take more samples.
Note: According to WADA’s International Standards for Testing and Investigations Annex F4.5, “The DCO shall continue to collect additional Samples until the requirement for Suitable Specific Gravity for Analysis is met, or until the DCO determines that there are exceptional circumstances which mean it is impossible to continue with the Sample Collection Session. Such exceptional circumstances shall be documented accordingly by the DCO.” Nevertheless, no exceptional circumstances were documented on George’s doping control supplementary report form.
Once Vertical Blue 2023 began a couple of weeks later, George went on to perform a 55m (180ft) dive in CNF (with no fins), 107m (351ft) in FIM (pulling down and up a line), 114m (374ft) in CWT (with a monofin), and 117m (384ft) on a second CWT dive that became a new North American Continental Record.
Preliminary Results of the Doping Control
One week after Vertical Blue 2023 concluded, Tory George received a phone call that would change everything.
AIDA USA reaches out to Tory George
It was on August 6, 2023, a week after Vertical Blue 2023’s conclusion, that AIDA USA President Ricardo Paris called and explained to George, “I wish I were talking to you under better circumstances, but William called, and something is going on with your drug test.” George was shocked and bombarded Paris with questions: “What does this mean?” “How does this happen?” “Why is he calling you instead of me?” “Is this how it’s supposed to work?”
Paris told George it was above his head but reassured him that he would remain impartial. Right after the call, George began calling William Trubridge repeatedly. He only received a short WhatsApp message in response: “Hey Tory, procedure is for notification to come from AIDA, who were first to be supplied with the results of your test. I’ve been at dinner, but it’s not appropriate for me to answer your questions until you’ve been notified.” George found out much later that the preliminary results were sent to AIDA International, but the organization never contacted him directly.
George was left speechless. He didn’t understand why the news of his test result was being given to others before he heard it, which is against the WADA Code Article 14.1.2 (“The Anti-Doping Organization with Results Management responsibility shall also notify the Athlete’s National Anti-Doping Organization, International Federation and WADA of the assertion of an anti-doping rule violation simultaneously with the notice to the Athlete or other Person.”) He also questioned why Trubridge, who had paid for the test presumably. At the same time, he was still a fellow competitor and was releasing the preliminary results to his AIDA National president rather than to AIDA International itself.
In an interview with Trubridge, when asked about George’s preliminary results communication, Trubridge told me, “It was AIDA USA who contacted him [Tory George] regarding his positive result. Vertical Blue wasn’t involved in informing the athlete themselves.”
However, when I asked Paris how he received George’s preliminary results, he mentioned a different timeline. “I heard the news about Tory when official WADA ITA results were released weeks after Vertical Blue. Those results are sent to the athlete, the National ADA, and other WADA signatories,” he told me. “I contacted Tory as a USA Freediving representative to a USA athlete and a friend to provide support. The conversations were confidential, but his reaction became very public through social media.”
Tory George gets the official notification
On August 10, 2023, four days after receiving Paris’s call about his results, Tory George was officially given his preliminary results by the International Testing Agency (ITA). This independent organization manages anti-doping programs for International Federations, including CMAS.
As per the above-mentioned Article 14.1.2 in the WADA Code, ITA Legal notified George and USFF (the CMAS-affiliated U.S. Freediving Federation) of his preliminary doping control results. Neither William Trubridge, AIDA International, nor AIDA USA was CC’d on that official email; the only parties CC’d were:
- WADA Results Management
- USADA (the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency)
- Dr. Michel Leglise (CMAS Anti-Doping and Medical Director)
The preliminary results showed that his urine samples yielded an Adverse Analytical Finding (AAF). An AAF is a doping test sample that indicates the presence of a banned substance but is not yet deemed an ‘anti-doping rule violation (ADRV).’ George informed me that, in his case, a GC/C/IRMS (a test used for the “analysis of urinary steroids to detect illicit synthetic testosterone use”) performed on his urine sample came back positive, meaning that the carbon isotope ratio was abnormal.
George asked himself how this was possible. “I knew from this moment that I would have to educate myself on the science more than I had ever wanted to if I was going to prove my innocence.” He immediately began to investigate.
William Trubridge and AIDA USA Propose Banning Substances and Athletes
Since CMAS is a WADA Code Signatory, an AAF meant that Tory George was automatically provisionally suspended from future CMAS competitions until his B sample (the second sample collected in a doping control) was tested or until a final hearing occurred. However, as AIDA International is not yet a Code Signatory, George’s AAF did not trigger a provisional suspension from future AIDA competitions.
Nevertheless, that was soon about to change.
AIDA USA’s proposal for a special vote
A few weeks later, George discovered that William Trubridge submitted a proposal for a special vote through AIDA USA. According to AIDA Statute 9.4.1, “A special vote of the Assembly may be called for by…the written request to AIDA of not less than twenty percent of Members”. AIDA USA had gathered enough AIDA Member countries to present Trubridge’s proposal to the AIDA Assembly.
This was the proposal’s wording:
In light of recent events, we propose an immediate Assembly vote for:
AIDA International to add benzodiazepines and sildenafil to the list of Performance Enhancing Drugs (PEDs), and to henceforth ban any athletes using and/or possessing these or any other known PEDs.
Furthermore, AIDA International should recognize reports of recent violations (by 2 male Croatian athletes and 1 male US athlete at Vertical Blue included) of the WADA Anti-Doping Code 2.1 and 2.2 and enforce provisional suspension as defined in the Code until the result of investigations into these violations is concluded.
The recent anti-doping actions taken at Vertical Blue are the result of several years of reports on the use of benzodiazepine, sildenafil and other medications as PEDs. We wish to expedite this vote as soon as possible in order for AIDA International to take immediate action and impose a zero-tolerance policy to combat cheating and protect the rights of clean athletes worldwide.
In summary, the request was to:
- Immediately add benzodiazepines and sildenafil to AIDA’s list of performance-enhancing drugs.
- Enforce the provisional suspensions of Vitomir Maricic, Petar Klovar, and Tory George, which would prevent them from participating in the 31st AIDA Freediving World Championship, taking place just three weeks later on September 21st.
Referring back to the first article of this series: In an interview with Trubridge, he informed me that sildenafil belonged under a VB Doping Control Policy and Procedures document category: “any prescription-only substance that enhances performance in apnea/freediving and for which the athlete does not have a current prescription.” He went on to tell me, “Discovering it [sildenafil] in the luggage of the Croatians, we then did kind of research on it, and there were studies that show that in regular sport, it doesn’t do anything, but in sports where there is hypoxia, such as endurance sports at altitude with low oxygen, that it does have a benefit.”
However, according to his explanation, Vertical Blue staff did not consider sildenafil performance-enhancing until after they discovered it during the July 4th luggage search. This is inconsistent with the proposal’s statement, “The recent anti-doping actions taken at Vertical Blue are the result of several years of reports on the use of benzodiazepine, sildenafil, and other medications as PEDs.”
I delve further into the topic of benzodiazepines, sildenafil, and other substances suspected of being performance-enhancing for freediving in the third article of this series.
AIDA International’s Response to the Proposal
Modifying the AIDA PED list
In an interview, AIDA International President Sasa Jeremic (who began her presidential term in 2024) and Vice President Yulia Maryevich stated that they could not proceed with banning benzodiazepines and sildenafil immediately for multiple reasons.
The first was that the 31st AIDA Freediving World Championship started just 20 days after AIDA USA submitted William Trubridge’s proposal. AIDA Competition Rules and Regulations state that in section 14.1.1, AIDA International must send all regulations applicable to the event “to the Assembly and to all persons in charge of the respected countries no later than six months prior to the competition.” Additionally, section 14.3.2 states that “the rules may not be changed in the three months preceding World Championships.”
AIDA International told me that they did contact the lab that performs their doping control to ask them how they test for benzodiazepines and sildenafil. However, the lab responded that they didn’t have the capacity to do so.
The second reason Jeremic stated for not proceeding with banning benzodiazepines and sildenafil is that “members of the AIDA Assembly should be informed about what they’re voting for – they cannot formulate opinions based on public posts.” Since AIDA International’s responsibility is to prepare competent information, they began partnering with Clean Game, a not-for-profit organization that organizes, performs, and manages doping controls. However, Jeremic explained, “as no scientific studies have been found, the vote is still under consideration.”
AIDA International’s President and Vice President also pointed out that “people with health conditions that need to be treated with medicines on the Prohibited List are allowed to compete with TUE. If we ban prescribed medications used to treat these health conditions, we need to create a special system to allow these freedivers to dive and still treat their conditions. Creating this special system cannot happen in two weeks or one month – it can take years.”
Additionally, AIDA International’s Anti-Doping Manager and Clean Game President, Professor Dr. Nenad Dikic, has stated that “due to the questions raised by the freediving community, we will try to conduct a study with the antidoping laboratory from Vienna and prove possible use or misuse [of benzodiazepines] in sports.”
Athlete Bans
Regarding banning athletes from the 31st AIDA Freediving World Championship, AIDA International explained, “We did not ban Vitomir Maricic and Petar Klovar from competing as we were informed about their negative doping test findings. At the same time, there was no evidence of any ongoing process against them for doping violations due to possession of banned substances.”
Meanwhile, George’s case was different from Maricic’s and Klovar’s. AIDA International told me George’s preliminary doping control results made him ineligible to compete at the 31st AIDA Freediving World Championships. The AIDA Board and Disciplinary Committee had already started preparing documents to send to George when they received notification from AIDA USA regarding the special vote. But then, just one day after proposing the special vote to the AIDA Assembly, AIDA USA withdrew George’s name from the list of Team USA athletes for the upcoming World Championship.
No one notified George of his removal from the US national team.
Tory George Prepares His Defense
Once Tory George became aware of Trubridge and AIDA USA’s proposed special vote to the AIDA Assembly, he began gathering evidence. He reached out directly to 2023 AIDA International President Alexandru Russu, who asked him to put his defense into a presentable format for the voting AIDA Member countries to see before casting their votes. So George created a PDF document that included ‘9 fundamental issues that will exonerate me,’ which can be viewed here.
Below is a brief summary of George’s nine issues:
- A WADA anti-doping rule violation (ADRV) has not yet occurred until a hearing has been conducted and a verdict has been reached, yet I am being persecuted for an ADRV that hasn’t yet occurred.
- The GC/C/IRMS test cannot accurately assess testosterone levels in samples exhibiting low urine gravity; my urine gravity was 1.002, while the minimum acceptable urine gravity is 1.005.
- Only one Chain of Custody document has been provided for my sample, and essential sample storage information is missing.
- There is critical information missing in the lab packets associated with my samples.
- William Trubridge paid for the doping control administered to me and others to target specific individuals and illegally obtain results.
- The doping control officer who administered my control had an expired ID.
- My testosterone levels were within the normal range, and no metabolites were found in my urine sample.
- While I’m considering a tainted supplements defense, I face barriers due to financial constraints, demonstrating the difficulties athletes have in clearing their names.
- I am formally challenging the jurisdiction CMAS has over my anti-doping proceedings.
AIDA USA Suspends Tory George’s Membership
Tory George arrived in Limassol, Cyprus, for the 31st AIDA Freediving World Championship, unaware he had already been removed from Team USA.
On September 5, 2023, just two weeks before the competition start date, AIDA Events emailed George, informing him that he must pay the competition registration fee himself since he is no longer a part of Team USA (AIDA USA’s official freediving team) and cannot benefit from the subvention (financial support from AIDA International to official AIDA National team members). George was shocked to hear he was off the team; he immediately emailed AIDA Events back, asking for clarification on AIDA USA’s decision and if he could pay the registration fee the following week.
Then, on September 8, George emailed AIDA Events asking if he could benefit from the subvention if AIDA USA President Ricardo Paris confirmed he was still on Team USA. “I had not heard from Ricardo at all since our initial call in August, and I didn’t know why these decisions were being made without notifying me along the way,” he told me. “I was obliviously optimistic and thought if I could just fill him in on all the details I had gathered up to that point, it would give him the full scope I was privy to, and we would be on the same page.” Tory messaged Paris three weeks after the phone call to request communication but never received a response.
While George waited for an answer from AIDA Events, he finally managed to get a response from Paris. In a three-minute phone call, Paris informed George that, given CMAS’s actions and how AIDA International was leaving them in the dark, the AIDA USA Board felt they had to do something. After Paris quickly ended the call, George pleaded with him in an email to arrange a meeting to discuss the situation further. Paris told George to let him know when his circumstances changed and stopped responding further.
On September 13, five days after George asked AIDA Events about Paris affirming his Team USA membership, AIDA Events replied. In an email that had Paris CC’ed, AIDA Events told George that if Paris confirmed his Team USA membership, he could still benefit from the subvention.
But Paris’s email reply arrived just four hours later, stating, “Tory George is on provisional suspension from AIDA USA and Team USA.”
Being provisionally suspended from Team USA meant that George would have to pay the registration fee for the competition. However, being provisionally suspended from AIDA USA had much more profound implications.
Upon Paris’s reply, AIDA Events sent George an email quoting section 4.1.3.2 of the AIDA Competition Rules and Regulations: “Each athlete has to be a member of the AIDA National corresponding to his/her citizenship (passport) if this National exists (if not, athletes may register in any National that is an active Member of AIDA).” According to this rule, he couldn’t compete at the 31st AIDA Freediving World Championship unless his AIDA USA membership was reinstated.
Although Trubridge and AIDA USA’s special vote to the AIDA Assembly didn’t affect the Croatian athletes’ participation in the World Championship, AIDA USA could still influence George as a US freediving athlete. “The special vote that was supposed to happen didn’t, and now there was a loophole keeping me from competing as long as AIDA USA continued to ignore my requests for communication,” George explained. “It felt extremely calculated and, once again, like I was being targeted.”
Tory George’s Attempted Meeting with AIDA USA
Since AIDA USA President Ricardo Paris had stopped answering Tory George’s emails, texts, and WhatsApp messages requesting to present his defense, George was surprised when AIDA USA Vice President (who is also Vertical Blue’s Chief of Media) Francesca Koe reached out. She was also attending the 31st AIDA Freediving World Championship as an Assistant Judge serving on the Jury.
AIDA USA Vice President Suggests a Meeting
On September 18th, Koe approached George in the competition’s official hotel lobby to ask how he was doing. George had a few questions for Koe: “Why hasn’t anyone from AIDA USA called me? Why didn’t anyone ask for anything from me? Why wasn’t I notified that my membership was revoked?”
Koe suggested they try getting everything settled the next day. She told George to bring Paris to her and schedule a meeting. This time, Paris answered George’s message requesting a meeting, and they decided on an online meeting at 9 p.m. Cyprus time. George messaged Koe on WhatsApp about the meeting time, and although the message was marked as received, he didn’t get a reply from her.
George sat in the lobby most of the day, preparing for his upcoming online meeting and gathering documents, while Koe was busy at the other end of the room. But at 8:30 p.m., thirty minutes before their scheduled meeting time, Koe went upstairs – to prepare for the meeting, George assumed.
However, 9 p.m. came and went, and although George messaged and called Koe and Paris, no one answered. “I felt justified, in a sense, waiting around all night for a meeting that was never going to happen. I felt like the longer I waited, the more clear it became that I was being intentionally avoided.” He waited until midnight before giving up.
The next morning, Koe finally messaged George back, saying she had duties and meetings, and then went to sleep. However, she mentioned she would connect with Paris later when she could. Meanwhile, Paris told George he hadn’t received a call but that they could call the next day, September 21st.
But for George, it would be too late the next day — it was September 20th, and the competition registration deadline was that evening.
AIDA Board Attempts Mediation
George was surprised that Koe suggested the meeting, but then both she and Paris appeared to have avoided him. “I had no intention of having a meeting with AIDA USA – I didn’t think that was an option, or even on the table, after having been avoided every time I reached out,” he told me. “I was fine taking up my complaints with AIDA International and trying to find a solution there.”
George stayed in the hotel lobby for eight hours, speaking to different AIDA Board members and showing them that AIDA USA wasn’t willing to meet with him. Eventually, several of the Board members pulled Koe into a meeting to see if she would reverse AIDA USA’s decision to revoke George’s AIDA USA membership.
George mentioned that although he showed her the evidence he had been collecting in the meeting, Koe didn’t take part in the conversation and hardly commented on the matter. There would be no change in Tory’s AIDA USA revoked membership status.
I reached out to Paris for comment. “AIDA International did not take action,” he told me. “USA Freediving helped organize a petition by several AIDA Nationals to have an AIDA International vote regarding PEDs and athlete suspensions. AIDA International ignored the effort so the vote never went to members. The USA Freediving Board made the decision to provisionally suspend Tory based on the test results.”
Francesca Koe did not respond to my request for comment.
George did not compete at the 31st AIDA Freediving World Championships, and his status remains uncertain until his doping control proceedings are resolved. In the meantime, he has filed a formal complaint against AIDA USA to the AIDA Disciplinary Committee and awaits their judgment.
What Happens Next?
As of July 10, 2024, Tory George is still awaiting testing of his B sample. This is the next step in the doping control process after an Adverse Analytical Finding (AAF) preliminary result according to the International Standards for Results Management 2023.
If an athlete’s B sample tests negative after their A sample produces an Adverse Analytical Finding (AAF), the athlete could be cleared of doping allegations.
However, if the B sample also tests positive, confirming the initial preliminary result, the athlete is notified and is given a short deadline to provide or supplement an explanation. The athlete can also choose to admit to an anti-doping rule violation and may be granted a one-year reduction in their period of ineligibility to compete. After either of these scenarios, the Results Management Authority charges the athlete with committing an anti-doping rule violation and lists applicable consequences.
If charged with an anti-doping rule violation, the athlete may have the opportunity to present their case in a hearing. In a hearing, the Results Management Authority brings the charge forward before a hearing panel, which decides if the evidence meets the required standard of proof.
Once the hearing is complete and a decision is made, the athlete and/or anti-doping organization may have the right to appeal the decision.
Brief Summary
On July 4, 2023, in Long Island, Bahamas, two weeks before the private freediving competition Vertical Blue 2023 commenced, US freediving athlete Tory George was informed that he needed to undergo an official doping control. Upon arrival at the doping control station, he grew suspicious after noticing the doping control officer’s expired ID badge and learning that the control was being privately funded. Despite concerns, George provided a urine sample, which had a low urine-specific gravity. After a subsequent sample yielded the same result, George left and went on to participate in the competition, eventually setting a new Continental Record for North America.
Following Vertical Blue 2023, George received a call from AIDA USA President Ricardo Paris regarding his July 4th doping control. Surprised that Paris had the results before him, George officially received his preliminary results four days later in an email from the International Testing Agency (ITA), an independent organization that manages anti-doping programs on behalf of International Federations, including CMAS). The email indicated that the testing performed on his sample resulted in an Adverse Analytical Finding (a doping test sample that indicates the presence of a banned substance but is not yet deemed an ‘anti-doping rule violation’).
AIDA USA, on behalf of William Trubridge, proposed a special vote to the AIDA Assembly banning benzodiazepines and sildenafil while seeking provisional suspensions for athletes Vitomir Maricic, Petar Klovar, and Tory George. However, AIDA International cited competition rules preventing changes within three months of competition; it also consulted with the anti-doping organization Clean Game, finding insufficient scientific data on the proposed substances. The proposed vote is still pending.
In a move by AIDA USA, George’s membership was revoked a week before the 31st AIDA Freediving World Championships. Despite George’s attempts to present a defense document, AIDA USA President Ricardo Paris and AIDA USA Vice President (and Vertical Blue’s Chief of Media) Francesca Koe set a meeting, but neither showed up. When members of the AIDA International Board brought Koe into a last-minute meeting, Koe refused to reinstate George’s membership.
George’s status remains uncertain until the final stages of the doping control process conclude. The final stages include testing of his B sample, a hearing process, and a decision, which he and/or ITA may have the right to appeal.
Final Thoughts
This controversy around the Vertical Blue 2023 luggage search and doping controls has raised many questions about proper procedures, athlete rights, and the standing of different substances as potential performance enhancers in freediving. While the situation with Tory George remains unresolved, it highlights the critical importance of having clear, consistent anti-doping policies and processes that respect athlete rights while upholding fair competition.
Some key questions are left to consider:
- Were Tory George’s rights as an athlete violated through lack of proper notification, inconsistent procedures, or predetermined treatment based on suspicion rather than evidence? How can athlete rights be better protected moving forward?
- Is there sufficient scientific evidence to ban substances like benzodiazepines and sildenafil as performance-enhancing drugs specifically for the sport of freediving? What criteria should be used to determine if a substance provides an unfair competitive advantage?
- What is the appropriate role and oversight for private event organizers like Vertical Blue versus official governing bodies like AIDA and CMAS when it comes to doping control and results management? How can a clear separation of responsibilities be maintained?
The story of the Vertical Blue 2023 luggage search and doping control highlights the importance of having comprehensive, evidence-based anti-doping systems that protect clean athletes and competitive integrity while respecting athlete rights. Resolving these issues will require collaboration among athletes, event organizers, governing bodies, and scientific experts.
In my next article titled “Freediving Doping Controversy Part 3: Examining the Drugs in Question,” I investigate the possible performance-enhancing abilities of the substances through clinical studies and consult medical professionals on the possible use of furosemide in freediving.
