French Olympic fencer Ysaora Thibus cleared as CAS accepts positive test linked to kissing partner
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Ysaora Thibus of France during the 2024 Paris Olympics.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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LAUSANNE – The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has overturned French Olympic fencer Ysaora Thibus' four-year suspension for doping, ruling that her positive test for a banned substance was caused by kissing her then-boyfriend, American fencer Race Imboden.
Thibus, silver medallist in team foil at the Tokyo Games, had tested positive for ostarine, a prohibited muscle-building substance, during a competition in Paris in January 2024.
However, CAS concluded there was no intentional wrongdoing, finding it scientifically plausible that repeated kissing over several days with Olympic medallist Imboden – who was taking ostarine at the time – led to accidental contamination.
“I categorically deny that I have used doping,” Thibus wrote after her positive test. “My many negative doping tests are proof of this.”
The court dismissed an appeal from the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), which had sought a four-year suspension.
The sport's top court instead upheld a previous ruling from the International Fencing Federation's doping disciplinary tribunal (DDT) that had already cleared Thibus of any fault.
"The CAS Panel ruled that the antidoping rule violation for the presence of ostarine was not intentional, and that it is not questionable that Ms Thibus bears no fault or negligence," the court said in a statement.
"The DDT decision is upheld and the appeal is dismissed."
Per the verdict, CAS judges determined that “it is scientifically established that the intake of an ostarine dose similar to the dose ingested by Ms. Thibus’ then partner would have left sufficient amounts of ostarine in the saliva to contaminate a person through kissing.”
Imboden, who is also a model, had claimed that he had been taking ostarine to restore the muscle tone he had lost since retiring in order to benefit his modelling career.
The case has drawn comparisons to an incident in 2009 involving French tennis player Richard Gasquet, who was exonerated after arguing that he had tested positive for cocaine after kissing someone at a nightclub.
Thibus was able to compete at the 2024 Paris Olympics following the initial DDT ruling, finishing fifth in the team foil event on home soil. REUTERS
