LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AP) — Canada’s equestrian team lost its appeal to regain a place in the Tokyo Olympics jumping lineup on Tuesday in a doping case involving traces of cocaine in South American tea.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport said its judges gave an urgent ruling dismissing appeals by Nicole Walker and the Canadian equestrian federation against her disqualification from the 2019 Pan American Games team jumping competition in Peru.
Without Walker’s scores in Lima, the Canadians slipped out of the final Olympic qualification place, which instead went to Argentina.
Walker tested positive for metabolites of cocaine believed to have come from drinking coca tea, which is popular in South America.
The CAS judges instead upheld the Pan American Sports Organization’s request to disqualify Canada entirely from the competition for the single positive test.
The full written verdict “will be notified to the parties in the coming weeks,” the court said.
Canada placed fourth in team jumping at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics and took silver in Beijing in 2008.
Canada has one place in the individual equestrian jumping competition in Tokyo.
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