Olympics-Athletics-Romania's Iusco banned for doping on eve of Paris Games

PARIS - Romanian athlete Florentina Iusco will not compete at the Paris Olympics after global sport's top court partially upheld a World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) appeal on Thursday following her positive test for a banned substance last year.

The 28-year-old, who competes in the long jump and triple jump, tested positive for furosemide, a diuretic on WADA's prohibited list, in an out-of-competition doping control in April 2023.

The analysis of both her A and B samples confirmed the result, resulting in an anti-doping rule violation.

Romania's National Anti-Doping Organisation sanctioned her only with a reprimand on Feb. 1 with no period of ineligibility on the basis that she was not at fault or was not negligent.

However, after WADA appealed that decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), the arbitrator determined she had failed to exercise the standard of care required for a "no significant fault or negligence" finding.

CAS imposed a two-year ban on Iusco backdated to Feb. 1 and disqualified all of her results from April 23 last year.

WADA had originally sought a two-year ban from the day CAS rendered its decision.

The athletics events in Paris begin on Aug. 1.