Section 11 of the 2024 CrossFit Games Drug Testing Policy states that CrossFit “may…recognize drug-policy violations, including positive tests, reported by other national anti-doping organizations.” The drug policy continues, “Once a final decision in the case has been announced by the testing agency or sports governing body, CrossFit, LLC, will, in each case, determine its own sanction for the athlete involved.”
The Barbell Spin was recently made aware of a situation involving a Masters athlete who has qualified for the 2024 Masters CrossFit Games but is currently serving a sanction for violating the anti-doping policy of the International Masters Weightlifting Association (IMWA).
Marcha van Glaanen Weygel is an athlete in the Women’s 55-59 Masters Age Group division. Weygel, who has signed up for every CrossFit Open since 2014, competed at the 2018 CrossFit Games in the Masters 50-54 age group division where she finished 5th.
Since then, the Dutch athlete has narrowly missed qualifying to make a return appearance to the CrossFit Games…until this year. Weygel finished 25th in the 55-59 year-old Age Group Semifinal where she earned an invite to compete at the 2024 Masters CrossFit Games in Birmingham, Alabama.
Since qualifying, Weygel is officially listed among the 30 women in her division to have accepted her invite to compete at the the Masters CrossFit Games.
The issue, however, is that Weygel is currently serving a four-sanction for violating the IMWA’s anti-doping policy. Weygel failed a drug test while competing at the 2021 European Masters Championship.
Weygel’s sample tested positive for boldenone, an anabolic androgenic steroid and synthetic derivative of testosterone. It apparently does not have any therapeutic or medical use in humans and was originally created for veterinary use. Athletes use it to increase muscle mass and strength.Â
As you might expect, boldenone is listed as a prohibited substance by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and is categorized in the S1. Anabolic Agents section. Additionally, Boldenone is specifically listed as a prohibited substance in the Appendix of the CrossFit Drug Test Policy.
Getting back to Weygel, she competed in the 64kg weight category at the 2021 European Masters Championship. She went 4-for-6 and finished with a 48kg snatch and 71kg clean & jerk for a 119kg total, good for 2nd place overall. The clean and jerk was also a new European Masters record.
All of that was invalidated following Weygel’s failed drug test. Weygel received a 4-year sanction from the IMWA from October 18, 2021 that runs through October 17, 2025.
Since that sanction, Weygel has competed the past three seasons of the CrossFit Games as well as other non-CrossFit licensed competitions including 2022 Wodapalooza where she won the Masters 50-54 division, the 2021 iF3 Masters World Championships where she finished 2nd overall and the 2022 Lowlands Throwdown Classic where she won.
Now, the question is whether CrossFit will continue to let Weygel compete at the 2024 Masters CrossFit Games during her sanction by the IMWA.