“French Fencer Thibus Cleared for Paris 2024 Amid Doping Case”, “Ysaora Thibus, considered a top contender for gold in the foil event, has been officially included in the French fencing team for the Olympics in Paris. However, her participation is shadowed by a pending appeal from the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), which could potentially result in her being stripped of any medal she wins at the age of 32.”
“Thibus faced a suspension from the International Fencing Federation (FIE) in February following a positive test for the banned substance Ostarine. However, she was subsequently cleared of any wrongdoing by the governing body in May.”
WADA, however, appealed the decision before the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) and demanded a four-year ban for the Tokyo silver medallist, although she is still allowed to compete until her case is resolved.
“The French Fencing Federation has taken note of this non-suspensive appeal, which does not prevent Ysaora from taking part in the Olympic Games,” the FFE said in a statement.
“Consequently, the FFE is maintaining the composition of its Olympic selection in women’s foil. The members of the French Olympic women’s foil team maintain their confidence in Ysaora Thibus and want her to be part of the adventure of Paris 2024.”
Jean-Yves Robin, national technical director for the French Olympic team, told Reuters that four days ahead of the first women’s foil event, the team were fully focused on preparing for the competition.
“What happens on the piste and outside of the piste are two different things. We’ll see after depending on the results. For now, there’s no point in speculating, there are individual events and a team event and we stay focused on it.”
