FINA Releases Statement on Lifing Albert Subirats Ban

PHOENIX, Arizona, August 26. FINA has issued a statement detailing the process by which swimmer Albert Subirats was reinstated for competition after the Venezuelan appealed his one-year suspension for missing out-of-competition drug tests.

As we mentioned earlier this week, Subirats was given the suspension when the Venezuelan Swimming Federation neglected to fully inform FINA of Subirats' whereabouts for the purposes of locating him for drug tests. The suspension kept Subirats, a bronze medalist in the 100 fly at the 2007 world championships, out of this year's worlds in Shanghai, and if upheld, would have also prevented him from competing at the 2012 Olympics, according to the now-famous International Olympic Committee's Rule 45, as well as the 2016 Games. Lifting the ban means Subirats will be able to represent Venezuela at the Pan-American Games in October, and can compete at the London Olympics.

Full text of FINA statement:

Following the information appeared in some media related with the case of swimmer Albert Subirats (VEN), FINA would like to clarify that:

1. According to a FINA Doping Panel decision on June 21, 2011 , a one-year suspension was imposed to swimmer Albert Subirats (VEN) following three whereabouts failures;

2. The swimmer appealed of this decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), in accordance with FINA Rules;

3. The CAS Arbitrator, on August 25, 2011 decided to cancel the FINA sanction and to waive any suspension to swimmer Albert Subirats (VEN).

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