CAS Lifts Provisional Ban on Russian Olympic Bobsledder

Paris, Oct 8 (AFP) Russian bobsledder Nadezhda Sergeeva has had her provisional ban lifted after failing a doping test at the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, the Court of Arbitration for Sport said Monday.

Sergeeva, who finished 12th in the two-woman bobsleigh, tested positive for the heart medication trimetazidine on February 18.

She admitted the offence at the time and was provisionally suspended, but subsequently said the adverse analytical finding was a result of contamination.

"On 5 October 2018, the provisional suspension was lifted by CAS on that basis, as it is undisputed between the parties to the procedure that the Athlete's ADRV (anti-doping rule violation) likely resulted from a contaminated product," CAS said in a statement.

"The CAS procedure continues in order to determine the possible sanctions and a final award concerning this point will be issued as soon as possible," it added.

The sports tribunal said if any resulting sanction exceeded the length of the provisional ban already served, the additional period of ineligibility would begin immediately.

The International Olympic Committee agreed to allow 168 Russians deemed drug-free to take part at the 2018 Games under a neutral flag. However, two of them returned positive tests during the event.

Curler Alexander Krushelnitsky was stripped of his mixed doubles bronze medal for taking the banned substance meldonium. AFP PDS

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