The Portuguese surfer Vasco Ribeiro informed, this Friday, that he was suspended for three years, for failing anti-doping controls, assuming, in a statement sent to the Lusa agency, the error and announcing that he will appeal.
“I have been informed today that I will be suspended from competing professionally for three years for missing anti-doping controls. It is time for me to take the consequences of my actions and publicly say that I was wrong: I missed the controls because I had a drug problem,” he wrote.
About a year after announcing a break from competition due to mental health problems, Vasco Ribeiro, 28, assumes a mistake that will make it impossible for him to “compete at the highest level of professional surfing”. “Over the last year, with the use of treatment and professional help, I have been rebuilding myself from a very low point in my personal and sporting life. Over the last year, I have been a better father, son and friend. Over the last year, I have been training like never before,” he said.
For this reason, the surfer says he will appeal the punishment handed down to him by the international federation (ISA), although he admits that he will be away from the competition in the near future. “To all those who supported me and support me in these troubled times, a big thank you. I will come back stronger, more motivated, and with even more determination”, he concluded.
