LAUSANNE: The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) have banned Mauritian badminton player Kate Jessica Foo Kune for two years for an anti-doping violation.
Foo Kune tested positive for a banned steroid during the 2019 African Badminton World Championships in Port Harcourt, Nigeria, but a Badminton World Federation (BWF) panel ruled she bore no fault or negligence.
The 27-year-old escaped sanction after contending that her positive test was the result of sabotage and that her water had been spiked by an “ill-intentioned individual”.
The BWF then appealed their own panel’s decision not to ban Foo Kune to CAS, the highest legal authority in sport.
“On the basis of the evidence … the CAS panel found the athlete’s assertion of intentional spiking during the 2019 African Badminton World Championships devoid of supporting evidence,” CAS said in a statement.
As a result, Foo Kune was banned for a period of two years dated from Dec 15, 2020, CAS added.