THE COURT OF ARBITRATION FOR SPORT (CAS) RATIFIES THESETTLEMENT AGREEMENT REACHED BETWEEN JUNYA KOGA AND THEINTERNATIONAL SWIMMING FEDERATION (FINA) – PERIOD OF INELIGIBILITY REDUCED FROM FOUR YEARS TO TWO YEARS

The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has issued a Consent Award embodying the agreement reached between the Japanese swimmer Junya Koga and the International Swimming Federation (FINA) in relation to Junya Koga’s positive out-of-competition doping control on 2 March 2018.
On 25 October 2018, the FINA Doping Panel found that Junya Koga had committed an anti-doping rule violation (ostarine and ligrandrol – non-specified substances prohibited at all times under S1.2 of the WADA Prohibited List), sanctioned him with a period of ineligibility of four years starting on 15 May 2018 and disqualified all results achieved from 2 March 2018.

On 31 October 2018, Junya Koga filed an appeal at the CAS and an arbitration procedure was opened. In June 2019, the parties informed the CAS that having agreed that contaminated supplements were the most likely source, on a balance of probability, of both the ostarine and ligrandrol found in JunyaKoga’s samples, they had signed a settlement agreement, and requested that CAS ratify paragraph 1 of such agreement in a Consent Award, as follows:
“1. The Parties agree that the Appealed Decision [FINA’s decision] shall be amended as follows:

1. (a)  The presence of ostarine and a metabolite of ligandrol in the Athlete’s sample constitutes an
   anti-doping rule violation.
2. (b)  The Athlete shall be sanctioned with a period of ineligibility of two years, commencing on the date of provisional suspension on 15 May 2018. The period of ineligibility shall therefore end on 14 May 2020 included.
3. (c)  Any competitive results of the Athlete from and including 2 March 2018, including any medals points and prizes, shall be disqualified.
4. (d)  EachpartybearstheirownlegalcostsandotherexpensesinconnectionwiththeCASAppeal.”

The CAS award has been notified to the parties and the Agreement is now effective.
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By Editor