Arbitration panel upholds doping ban for three Russians
Posted: Thursday August 27, 1998 02:05 PM
LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AP) -- An international arbitration panel
on Thursday upheld the two-year bans imposed on three Russian
swimmers who tested positive for banned steroids.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) rejected the appeals of
Vladimir Pyshnenko, Natalia Meshcheryakova and Olga Kochetkova.
The three were handed two-year suspensions by world swimming's
governing body FINA after testing positive for the anabolic steroid
metandienone on October 18, 1997, at a training camp in Cprus.
The swimmers lodged an appeal in December 1997. The case was
heard by three CAS arbitrators in Lausanne on Wednesday.
”After deliberation, the arbitration panel decided to dismiss
the appeal by the swimmers and to confirm the decision issued by
the FINA doping panel,” CAS said in a statement.
The suspensions remain in effect until October 18, 1999.
Pychnenko swam on the relay team which won the gold medal and
set a world record in the 4x200 freestyle at the Barcelona
Olympics.
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