- Joined
- Jan 17, 2022
(Mostly) Everyone who has a positive sample will be temporarily suspended until further notice (also called provisional suspension). This is to ensure fair competition and the protection of clean athletes. However, that does not mean that there is no ongoing investigation.I thought she has already been suspended? The investigation is ongoing?
Athletes can request the testing of the B-sample (which has to be done with them present) and if it is positive, an official court case has to be opened against the (potentially) offending athlete. At court, athletes can bring forward explanations for the presence of a banned substance in their sample or offer evidence that they accidentally/unknowingly ingested the banned substance/a precursor substance. Based on this hearing and the evidence presented, the court decides on a punishment, which can range from a warning to a 4-year ban (or lifetime if you are a repeat offender). This punishment seems to usually be backdated, so if it takes a year to reach a decision in court and the sentencing calls for a one-year ban the athlete might get off with minimal additional suspension time on top of the provisional suspension and be able to return to competitions close after the ruling.