Advertisement

Paralympics-Australian cycling champion banned for doping

MELBOURNE, Sept 2 (Reuters) - Australian Paralympic cyclist Michael Gallagher has been handed a mandatory provisional suspension by Cycling Australia and the Australian Paralympic Committee after testing positive for erythropoietin (EPO). Scotland-born Gallagher, who won track golds at the Beijing and London Paralympics, was tested out-of-competition at a training camp in Italy in July, the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority (ASADA) said in a statement on Friday. "The test was coordinated by ASADA as part of a comprehensive pre-Rio anti-doping program to ensure the integrity of the Australian Paralympic team," ASADA said. The provisional suspension has ruled 37-year-old Gallagher out of competing at this month's Paralympics in Rio. The International Paralympic Committee banned Russia's entire delegation from competing at the Paralympics due to state-sponsored doping. On Thursday, CAS rejected requests from more than 175 Russian athletes to compete as neutrals. Last week the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), sport's highest tribunal, rejected a Russian Paralympic Committee (RPC) appeal against the IPC suspension. Russia appealed against the CAS ruling to the Swiss Federal Court, which declined on Wednesday to issue a preliminary injunction that would have let their disabled athletes compete in Rio. The court said it would rule later on the team's ban. (Reporting by Ian Ransom; Editing by Greg Stutchbury)