CAS DISMISSES BRIANNA MCNEAL’SAPPEAL AND CONFIRMS A 5 YEAR BAN FOR A SECOND ANTI-DOPING RULE VIOLATION

MONACO: The Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) acknowledges the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) decision today to dismiss Brianna McNeal’s appeal against the decision of the Disciplinary Tribunal that she committed a violation of Tampering with Doping Control, a breach of the World Athletics Anti-Doping Rules.

The athlete appealed against the Disciplinary Tribunal’s finding that she had intentionally altered medical evidence on two different occasions during the results management process for a whereabouts failure.

Since the Tampering violation represented her second anti-doping rule violation, the Disciplinary Tribunal imposed a period of ineligibility of 5 years.

The Disciplinary Tribunal’s decision can be read here.

The athlete appealed the Disciplinary Tribunal’s decision to CAS and the AIU cross-appealed. Pending the appeals, the CAS provisionally stayed the Disciplinary Tribunal decision to allow her to compete at the US Olympic Trials where she proceeded to qualify for the Tokyo Olympic Games.

The CAS decision today dismisses the athlete’s appeal and confirms the Disciplinary Tribunal’s decision in full.  The decision partially upholds the AIU’s cross-appeal and orders the additional disqualification of the athlete’s results between 13 February 2020 and 14 August 2020. The CAS Operative Award can be read here. The detailed CAS decision will be published in due course.

As a result of today’s CAS decision, the Athlete will serve a 5-year period of ineligibility from 15 August 2020. She will not therefore compete at this year’s Olympic Games.

About the Athletics Integrity Unit

The Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) is the independent body created by World Athletics that manages all integrity issues – both doping and non-doping – for the sport of athletics. The remit of the AIU includes anti-doping, the pursuit of individuals engaged in age or competition results manipulation, investigating fraudulent behaviour with regards to transfers of allegiance, and detecting other misconduct including bribery and breaches of betting rules. It is the AIU’s role to drive cheats out of our sport, and to do everything within its power to support honest athletes around the world who dedicate their lives to reaching their sporting goals through dedication and hard work.

Source:  Athletics Integrity Unit