Related case:
CAS 2014_A_3510 Sandra Ristivojević vs ISU
September 10, 2014
In December 2013 the International Skating Union (ISU) has reported an anti-doping rule violation against the minor Serbian Athlete Sandra Ristivojević for her failure to be available for doping control. Here the Athlete had already left the ice rink before ensuring that she had not been selected.
The Athlete stated that she fell ill after the match and returned to the hotel, she had a temperature of 38,9° and that she fell asleep after having taken an anti-pyretic medicine. Her mother the team leader, felt ill too and could not go to the ice rink to inform the doping control team about the illness of her daughter.
The team leader argued that there was no information at the hotel about time, schedules, telephone numbers of the organizer or doping control panel or the doping control team. The organizers on the other hand did contact neither the team leader nor the Athlete. Also the team leader admitted that she didn’t attend the team leaders meeting prior to the competition, because she was ill.
These statements of the Athlete and the team leader did not convince the ISU Disciplinary Commission.
The Athlete stated that next morning her attempts to be tested at the event were refused because it was not authorized by the event organizer.
After reviewing several statements it remains unclear for the ISU Panel why the Athlete was not tested by the control team together with other athletes, although she was present and the ISU Sport Director had given his permission to test the Athlete. Also requests of the President of the Serbian Skating Association did not result in testing the Athlete in spite of the event was still going on.
Because of these exceptional circumstance the Panel rules that the Athlete bears no significant fault or negligence in this case.
Therefore the ISU Disciplinary Commission decides on 1 february 2014 to reduce the suspension and to impose a 1 year period of ineligibility on the Athlete, starting on the date of the decision.
