Court Clears Olympic Fencer in Unusual Doping Case

The Court of Arbitration for Sport overturned Ysaora Thibus's four-year doping ban, ruling accidental contamination via kissing her then-boyfriend, Race Imboden, caused positive test results for ostarine. Thibus was allowed to compete in the 2024 Paris Olympics, reinforcing the earlier decision of the International Fencing Federation's tribunal.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has overturned French Olympic fencer Ysaora Thibus's four-year doping suspension. The ruling was based on evidence that her positive test for a banned substance, ostarine, was due to accidental contamination through kissing American fencer Race Imboden, who was using the substance at the time.

The court concluded that the incident didn't involve intentional wrongdoing. It found that the repeated kissing of Imboden by Thibus plausibly led to contamination, dismissing the World Anti-Doping Agency's (WADA) appeal for a four-year suspension. Instead, CAS upheld a ruling from the International Fencing Federation's doping disciplinary tribunal, which had cleared Thibus of fault.

Thibus, a silver medallist at the Tokyo Games, was subsequently able to participate in the 2024 Paris Olympics, finishing fifth in the team foil event. The case has been compared to a 2009 incident involving tennis player Richard Gasquet, who was also exonerated after claiming similar circumstances of accidental drug ingestion.

(With inputs from agencies.)