Published: Saturday November 14, 2009 MYT 8:51:00 AM
Brazilian swimmer Gusmao gets life ban for doping
LAUSANNE, Switzerland: Brazilian swimmer Rebeca Gusmao lost her appeal on Friday against a lifetime ban for committing three doping offenses.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled that swimming governing body FINA was right to end the 25-year-old Gusmao's career.
Gusmao tested positive for elevated testosterone levels in 2006 and also days before the 2007 Pan American Games in Rio de Janeiro. She also tampered with doping controls during the Pan Am Games by switching her urine sample for another person's.
Gusmao won the 50- and 100-meter freestyle races but was later disqualified and stripped of the medals.
She was allowed to compete in Rio because her 2006 case was still being processed by the governing body.
FINA banned Gusmao for life in September 2008 after its anti-doping panel heard all three cases.
The World Anti-Doping Agency's code calls for a career-ending ban for a second offense.
At a CAS hearing held last March, Gusmao and her legal team questioned the accuracy of the testing laboratory in Brazil.
The court said its panel of three arbitrators "dismissed these arguments, finding that three clear anti-doping rule violations had occurred, two in the form of 'presence of a prohibited substance' and one in the form of 'tampering with a doping control."'
The CAS ruling said a team of WADA observers in Rio had raised suspicions about Gusmao's doping controls.
DNA analysis proved that the samples she provided belonged to different people. Gusmao also anchored Brazil teams to a second-place finish in the 400 free relay and third in the 400 medley relay.
Those teams were later disqualified.
The 50 and 100 free gold medals were awarded to Arlene Semeco of Venezuela.
In the 400 free relay, Canada was moved up to silver medal position and Venezuela was awarded bronze.
The Bahamas got bronze in the medley relay. - AP
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