BASKETBALL PLAYER SUSPENDED
The Swiss Sports Tribunal (SST) has imposed a two-year suspension on a Swiss National League A (LNA) basketball player following the detection of methylphenidate—a substance prohibited in competition—in a collected sample.
During an in-competition anti-doping test on November 5, 2025, LNA basketball player Malyk Rebetez was tested, and his sample revealed the presence of ritalinic acid, a metabolite of methylphenidate—a substance prohibited in competition. The athlete was subsequently notified of the positive sample by Swiss Sport Integrity (SSI).
The basketball player requested the analysis of his “B” sample, which confirmed the results from the “A” sample. He attributed the positive result to the accidental ingestion of the substance and requested a hearing before the SST.
The basketball player did not contest the anti-doping rule violation itself, but rather the consequences and sanctions proposed by SSI. During the proceedings, he explained that he had been at a friend’s home a few days prior to the test and was suffering from a severe headache. He claimed that, intending to take a painkiller, he mistakenly took a tablet of Ritalin—a medication used to treat ADHD—which was being kept loose in a container stored in a bathroom cabinet.
In its ruling, the SST concluded that, while the athlete did not act intentionally, his conduct constituted “significant negligence.” Despite the existence of a clear and easily identifiable risk, he failed to verify what medication he was taking. Consequently, he did not exercise the level of caution and diligence that could reasonably be expected of a national-level athlete when consuming the tablet. Consequently, the SST has imposed a two-year suspension on the basketball player due to the presence of a prohibited substance in competition.
The suspension is effective as of September 28, 2026, and applies to all sports and all roles within sport, worldwide. Furthermore, the athlete is required to cover testing and analysis costs amounting to 2,489 Swiss francs.
The athlete has appealed the ruling to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS); therefore, the decision is not yet final.
SSI reminds all athletes that, under anti-doping regulations, they are subject to the principle of “strict liability.” This means that every athlete is solely responsible for the substances present in their samples, regardless of whether a substance was ingested intentionally or unintentionally. It is essential that athletes carefully check any medications before using them.
We act in sports doping cases in Switzerland before the SSI, the SST and CAS and further information is available from either Dr Lucien Valloni or Kim Gamboni by emailing them at valloni@valloni.ch and gamboni@valloni.ch respectively.