By Mark Ledsom
BERN, May 23 - A two-year doping ban on
Argentina's Guillermo Canas has been cut to 15 months following
an appeal.
The 28-year-old was banned by the ATP's anti-doping tribunal
in August 2005 following a positive test for the prohibited
substance hydrochlorothiazide (HCT). He had been due to resume
coMpetition on June 11, 2007.
On Tuesday, the Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled that
Canas's ban should be reduced to 15 months after hearing how the
player had been given the substance in error by staff at a
tournament in Acapulco.
Canas had been prescribed medication by a tournament doctor
but was accidentally given another product containing the banned
substance.
In its ruling, the court noted that Canas had failed to
check the medication personally despite knowing it had passed
through several hands before being delivered to him.
The court agreed with Canas that the original mistake was
made by the tournament staff and found that the player's own
negligence was "not significant."
The court also overturned the ATP decision to invalidate
Canas's results for eight tournaments which he took part in
after the Acapulco event.