The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has overturned the four-year doping ban imposed on French Olympic fencer Ysaora Thibus, ruling that her positive test was caused by kissing her then-boyfriend, American fencer Race Imboden.
Thibus, a team foil silver medalist at the Tokyo Games, tested positive for ostarine-a banned muscle-building substance-during a competition in Paris in January 2024.
CAS found there was no intentional wrongdoing, accepting that repeated kissing over several days with Imboden, who was using ostarine at the time, led to accidental contamination.
The court dismissed an appeal by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), which had pushed for a four-year suspension, and upheld the earlier decision by the International Fencing Federation's doping disciplinary tribunal (DDT) clearing Thibus of any fault.
"The CAS panel ruled that the anti-doping rule violation for the presence of ostarine was not intentional, and that it is not questionable that Ms. Thibus bears no fault or negligence," the court said.
The case has drawn parallels to French tennis player Richard Gasquet's 2009 incident, when he was cleared after arguing his positive cocaine test resulted from kissing someone at a nightclub.
Thibus was able to compete at the 2024 Paris Olympics following the initial DDT ruling, finishing fifth in the team foil event on home soil.
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