In professional sports, coincidences are increasingly rare. Every athlete has a defined role and a clear set of responsibilities, especially when deviations from the established system occur.

This trend is consistent globally, yet in Montenegrin sports, accountability seems to be met with silence.

For several days, the Water Polo and Swimming Association of Montenegro has remained quiet. It took nearly a week for journalists to unofficially learn that Aleksa Ukropin was informed during the World Championship in Doha that he failed a doping test conducted during his World Cup preparations. This silence continues, with no statement from VPSCG.

Will anyone take responsibility? Aside from the 25-year-old water polo player, who will undoubtedly face severe consequences and miss the Paris Olympics, will anyone explain how it’s possible for an athlete to consume a banned inhalant drug without consulting qualified professionals? Doping control can occur at any time, day or night.

It’s evident that someone at VPSCG is not fulfilling their duties adequately (though the player bears the primary responsibility), as this is the second doping incident in merely two and a half years.

Prior to Ukropin, another athlete from the “inconvenient side,” Djuro Radovic, faced repercussions for a different reason—he breached WADA regulations and received three penalties for failing to fill out required documentation on three occasions.

While Ukropin did not intentionally ingest a prohibited substance, and Radović did not deliberately incur penalties, it’s crucial that VPSCG anticipates these kinds of issues and educates players accordingly. The medical team’s role is just as vital as the tactical strategies proposed by coaches and selectors.

It seems unbelievable that in 2024, any athlete would take medicine or cold remedies without first consulting a doctor or physiotherapist from the national team, especially during the brief interlude between two major competitions.

Established federations enforce a protocol where, before or during major competition preparations, athletes must consult medical team members at any time about the legitimacy of substances they’re considering using. This ensures they don’t inadvertently consume cold medications containing ephedrine, which has been banned for decades.

Diving into Radović’s situation reveals that every athlete should understand the importance of adhering to WADA rules. However, it’s apparent that neither he nor Ukropina were adequately prepared for such scenarios. As a result, the “sharks,” who have already fallen from the elite ranks of world water polo, will now be without one of their key players for the upcoming Olympics in Paris…

Ukropina is neither the first nor the last Montenegrin athlete to “fail” a doping test, but his case serves as a cautionary tale for all. Similar to Ivone Pavićević, who underwent laser intravenous therapy at her former club, Romanian Corona, without notifying anyone from the Handball Association, thus leading her to a 16-month hiatus.

Montenegro has an Anti-Doping Commission led by Dr. Olivera Prodanović. Perhaps this latest incident will prompt her to arrange workshops or seminars for athletes at all levels. We don’t have many top athletes to lose…

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