- 2020-11-11
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SPORTS
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MotoGP: Andrea Iannone's Doping Ban Extended To 4 Years After Losing Appeal
The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has announced its decision in the appeal arbitration procedures between the Italian MotoGP rider Andrea Iannone (Factory Aprilia Gresini), the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the Federation Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM).
- Andrea Iannone is sanctioned with a period of ineligibility of four years commencing on 17 December 2019.
- All competitive results obtained by Andrea Iannone from and including 1 November 2019 through the commencement of his suspension are disqualified, with all resulting consequences, including forfeiture of any medals, points and prizes.
Last November, Andrea Iannone received an 18-month ban from the FIM after testing positive for the anabolic steroid Drostanolone at Malaysian Grand Prix.
But he appealed to the CAS to have the ban annulled their decision, because he accidentally ate contaminated meat in Malaysia.
However, the CAS Panel rejected the appeal filed by Andrea Iannone and upheld the appeal filed by WADA. As a consequence, the decision rendered by the FIM International Disciplinary Court has been set aside and replaced the new decision.
Even though, Andrea Iannone has hoped he could be back on the grid for the start of next season, this result marks he will not be able to race in MotoGP until ending in December 2023.
Also, Aprilia will have to find an another rider. On rumor, Andrea Dovizioso will join in the team, but he recently decided to be hiatus next season. Cal Crutchlow, Bradley Smith and even Jorge Lorenzo have all been linked with the seat.
- “Today I've received the worst injustice I could ever have imagined,” Andrea Iannone wrote on Instagram. “They ripped my heart apart from my greatest love. No logical sense on these allegation(s) accompanied by incorrect facts. For this there will be an appropriate place and time… because I certainly do not give up. I knew I was facing the strong powers, but I was hoping. I was hoping for intellectual honesty and the affirmation of justice. Right now I am suffering at the highest level I could imagine. Whoever has tried to destroy my life will soon understand how my strength I have in my heart. The power of innocence and above all a clear conscience. A sentence can modify the events but not the MAN.”
Massimo Rivola (Aprilia Racing CEO) said, “Judgements must be observed and accepted, even if many elements of this decision arouse perplexities, even from a purely scientific point of view. We do not regret having stood by Andrea and, to the contrary, we continue to stand by him at this time. This matter, with its extremely long times, has heavily damaged Aprilia Racing and our strategies for this and upcoming seasons. However, we must now look to the future, and it is our duty to quickly find a high-level solution that embraces the project we began with Andrea and that allows us to continue our growth, which is there and is clearly evident.” - source : MotoGP
