Andrea Iannone MotoGP doping ban extended to four years by Court of Arbitration for Sport
The Italian will be banned until the end of 2023
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Italian MotoGP rider Andrea Iannone has been banned for four years after testing positive for a banned steroid, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) said on Tuesday.
The sport's governing body FIM had initially imposed an 18-month suspension after Iannone tested positive for the steroid Drostanolone at last year's Malaysian Grand Prix.
The 30-year-old Italian appealed to CAS, while the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) asked the court to lengthen the ban to four years.
"The CAS Panel rejected the appeal filed by Andrea Iannone and upheld the appeal filed by WADA," CAS said in a statement.
"Andrea Iannone is sanctioned with a period of ineligibility of four years commencing on 17 December 2019."
Iannone, who has a contract with Aprilia until the end of the 2020 season, said he tested positive because he ingested the banned substance accidentally through contaminated meat.
The CAS panel, however, found that Iannone had established "neither the precise type of meat he had consumed nor the origin of the said meat".
"The FIM has taken due note of the Court of Arbitration for Sport decision to impose a four-year period of ineligibility on Andrea Iannone," the sport's governing body said in a statement.
Iannone, nicknamed "The Maniac", joined Aprilia in 2018 but struggled to match team mate Aleix Espargaro for most of last season.
Aprilia has publicly backed Iannone throughout the proceedings and has repeatedly expressed its desire to retain him for 2021 as Espargaro's team mate.
Britain's Bradley Smith has deputised for Iannone in the 2020 championship.
Autosport has reported outgoing LCR Honda rider Cal Crutchlow has a pre-agreement in place with Aprilia for the 2021 season.
Reuters
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments