WADA Will Not Appeal FINA Decision In Kylie Palmer Case

The somewhat bizarre anti-doping case surrounding Australian freestyle specialist, Kylie Palmer, has finally come to an end, as WADA has decided not to appeal the FINA doping panel’s decision.

To review the odd sequence of events involving Palmer’s case, the Aussie had passed two separate drug tests at the 2013 World Championships, but tested positive for low levels of a diuretic/masking agent in a third. At the time, FINA originally planned not to pursue an anti-doping case against Palmer, but the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) disagreed. Miscommunication between the two organizations meant Palmer was not informed of her failed test until almost two years later, severely hampering her ability to defend herself or show how the banned substance entered her system.

Palmer voluntarily stepped down from her country’s World Championships roster, and welcomed FINA’s punishment of a warning and a stripping of all results from the single day she failed the test. That wiped out a 6th-place finish in the 200 free, but did not take away any medals. This FINA-dealt punishment was still subject to a WADA appeal, which WADA has now confirmed it will not seek.
Of the ability to now fully focus on the Australian Olympic Trials scheduled for April, Palmer stated, “I am so relieved this is now over and I can try to put it all behind me. It really has been very difficult to deal with the uncertainty of the situation. I am grateful that WADA have confirmed that it will not appeal the FINA Doping Panel’s decision and I can continue in my preparations for the Olympic qualifiers next year.”

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About Retta Race

Retta Race

Former Masters swimmer and coach Loretta (Retta) thrives on a non-stop but productive schedule. Nowadays, that includes having just earned her MBA while working full-time in IT while owning French 75 Boutique while also providing swimming insight for BBC.

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