He is captain of the Swiss national team and has won the Champions League twice. Portner has now been suspended by the Bundesliga club Magdeburg due to a doping investigation. The case seems nebulous.
Nikola Portner is not taking part in SC Magdeburg’s games or training for the time being.
Klaus Trotter / Imago
Nikola Portner should have reached for the next title at the weekend. Portner, 30 years old, is one of the best handball goalies in the world and is under contract with Champions League winner Magdeburg. On Saturday and Sunday, SC Magdeburg will play in the Final 4 tournament in Cologne for the German Cup victory – without Portner.
On Wednesday evening, Portner’s club announced that the goalie had been suspended from training and games for the time being. The reason for this is a positive doping test after a game. According to ARD, Portner gave this away on March 24th after Magdeburg’s win against Bergischer HC. The SC Magdeburg wrote: “So far we know very few details about the accusation and the status of the proceedings.” The association supports Portner in clarifying the matter. The substance that was found on Portner initially remained unnamed.
A spokeswoman for the German National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) said on Thursday when asked by the NZZ that traces of methamphetamine had been detected in Portner. Neither Portner nor SC Magdeburg nor the Swiss Handball Association nor the German Handball Bundesliga commented on the substance in question.
The NADA spokeswoman also said that a results management process would now be initiated. The allegations would be clarified and it would be examined how the substance got into Portner’s body. She did not provide any further information, citing the ongoing proceedings.
According to a spokesman for the Handball Bundesliga, Portner has the right to object to the allegations within seven days and to request that the B sample be opened. This happens in the presence of the player, said the spokesman.
As a drug, methamphetamine is known as crystal meth
Methamphetamine, a drug known as crystal meth, has a stimulating and pain-relieving effect. The German Wehrmacht used the substance during World War II to relieve soldiers’ feelings of fear and exhaustion. That’s why methamphetamine was given nicknames like armored chocolate or pilot’s marzipan.
In medicine, the substance is primarily used to treat ADHD or severe obesity. However, methamphetamine has no longer been registered as a medicine in Switzerland due to severe side effects and the risk of dependence, writes the specialist portal “Pharma-Wiki”. However, preparations are available in the USA.
Methamphetamine is chemically closely related to amphetamine, also known as speed. Both are synthetic substances that are usually swallowed or snorted, but sometimes also smoked. Amphetamines are particularly consumed in the party scene, but are also used to improve performance – for example in everyday work or study – and as a slimming agent.
Shock in the Swiss handball scene
Portner, who is presumed innocent, commented on the allegations on Instagram on Thursday evening. He wrote: “This information shocked me deeply. I will make every effort to demonstrate that I have not violated any anti-doping rules and that I have always acted and will continue to act in accordance with the values of sport.”
Portner is not only the undisputed regular goalkeeper for the top Bundesliga club Magdeburg, but also for the Swiss national team. With Switzerland he took part in the 2020 and 2024 European Championships and the 2021 World Cup. He is also the captain of the national team.
The Swiss handball scene reacted to the report with disbelief. The NZZ spoke to several exponents who would only like to comment behind closed doors. It is inconceivable to everyone that Portner used crystal meth as a drug or used it to enhance his performance. Portner is considered a model professional who has become a crowd favorite not only in the national team, but also in Magdeburg because of his approachable nature and strong performances. He is also known to abstain from alcohol. So how could the methamphetamine have gotten into his body?
Martial Saugy was formerly head of the anti-doping laboratory in Lausanne. Today he works as an expert for various associations and institutions. For example, he is repeatedly called in as an independent expert by the International Court of Arbitration for Sport (TAS) and also works for the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada).
Saugy is only aware of a few doping offenses involving methamphetamine. He says that when samples are positive, it often turns out that they entered the body during leisure time and were not taken before a competition to improve performance.
Saugy does not comment on Portner’s specific case. However, if the sample is positive for methamphetamine, he assumes that the reason for the positive doping test is not contaminated dietary supplements, but rather a party at which people consumed this drug. It is possible that Portner ingested the substance unintentionally in this environment. The concentration measured in the urine could provide an indication of this. However, this has not yet been made known.
Whether taken knowingly or not, Portner’s case is complex and convoluted. It is therefore likely to take longer until the process is completed. If he is found guilty, Portner faces a two-year ban.
Collaboration: Alan Niederer, Remo Geisser