Lausanne (AFP)
The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) on Monday rejected the appeal of Brazilian Rafaela Silva, reigning Olympic judo champion, suspended for two years for a positive doping control last year and who will therefore not be able to defend her title at the Games Tokyo Olympics this summer.
Silva, crowned in the under 57 kilogram category at the Rio Olympics in 2016, had tested positive for fenoterol, a product used in particular for the treatment of asthma, on August 9, 2019 during the Pan American Games.
She had received a two-year suspension from the International Judo Federation.
This sanction was confirmed on appeal on January 22.
Silva, who has always claimed to be innocent, claimed to have been accidentally infected during the Pan American Games as a result of contact with her roommate or with supporters.
The 28-year-old judoka also said that one of the hypotheses was that the substance had been transmitted to her by a baby, the daughter of a friend, who was using asthma products.
Rafaela Silva, who grew up in the City of God, the famous favela of Rio de Janeiro, won his biggest titles at home, at the Worlds-2013 and the Olympics-2016.
Thanks to her victories, she had become a symbol of success for the populations of difficult neighborhoods.
© 2020 AFP