Comrades Marathon winner Ludwick Mamabolo would know by mid-January if the doping charges against him would be withdrawn, according to a report on Saturday.
An independent tribunal reserved judgment on Friday, after Mamabolo's legal team applied for the case against him to be withdrawn, Beeld reported.
Mamabolo tested positive for the banned stimulant methylhexaneamine after he won the annual 89 kilometer ultra-marathon in Durban in June.
Advocate Gilbert Marcus SC, for Mamabolo, said there were too many mistakes with the process when his client was tested after the marathon.
Marcus reportedly pointed out 14 irregularities to the tribunal.
These included that the officials who supervised the urine tests were not accredited by the SA Institute for Drug Free Sport (Saids), incorrect procedures were followed when Mamabolo was informed he would be tested, and he was left unsupervised for 10
minutes before the test was conducted which was contrary to regulations.
“Mr Mamabolo is the victim of a botched system which, with respect, was rotten from start to finish,” Marcus said.
Advocate Jannie Lubbe, for Saids, admitted there were deviations from procedure in 10 of the 14 steps, Beeld reported.
Despite this, the results from the laboratory tests were not disputed by Mamabolo's legal team, he said.
Mamabolo also signed a form indicating he was satisfied with the process, Lubbe told Beeld. - Sapa