Therese Johaug will miss the 2018 Olympic games in PyeongChang
This is the verdict made public today by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Lausanne — Johaug is to be banned from all competitions for 18 months, starting from October 2016.
“…the Panel noted that Ms Johaug failed to conduct a basic check of the packaging, which not only listed a prohibited substance as an ingredient but also included clear doping cautionary warning. Such omissions resulted in an anti-doping rule violation inconsistent with her otherwise clean anti-doping record. Nevertheless, in order to ensure equality in applying antidoping rules, the Panel highlighted that it was obliged to apply a proportionate sanction, consistent with the level of fault. For this reason, the Panel noted that, in such a situation of non-significant fault, the 2015 World Anti-doping Code provides for a suspension range of between 12 – 24 months and determined in the present case that a period of ineligibility of 18 months, commencing on 18 October 2016, was appropriate…”
Full Text of the CAS ruling http://www.tas-cas.org/fileadmin/user_upload/Media_Release_5015.pdf
The 29-year-old Olympic and world champion was initially suspended for 13 months after she tested positive for clostebol, an anabolic steroid, by the Norwegian Olympic Committee.
The International Ski Federation (FIS) , however, appealed that decision with the CAS, seeking a 16- to 20-month suspension instead.
A 13 month suspension was opening the door for Johaug to run at the Olympics – a 18 month one makes it impossible.
Johaug’s ban was scheduled to expire at the very beginning of the ski competition season on 17 November 2017 – timing which would give her a comfortable enough time to prepare for the races in PyeongChang.
Johaug said the steroid was contained in a lip cream called Trofodermin, which she used to treat burns during a training session at high altitude in Italy in late August.
TO BE UPDATED
Photo courtesy of Therese Johaug Instagram account
https://www.instagram.com/johaugtherese/
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