Violinist Vanessa Mae has four-year skiing ban annulled

Pop violinist Vanessa Mae has overturned a four-year ban and been cleared of fixing Alpine skiing races but she was still ineligible to compete at the Sochi Winter Olympics, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) said on Friday.

CAS found there was "insufficient evidence" to back last year's suspension imposed by the International Ski Federation (FIS) for manipulating giant slalom races in Slovenia which allowed her to qualify for the Sochi Games at the last minute.

However, CAS said in a statement she "was ineligible to compete" because the qualifying events in Slovenia were "so defective".

Mae, a British citizen, competed for Thailand at the Games in Russia in February last year under her father's surname of Vanakorn, coming a distant last of the 67 finishers in the giant slalom.

Alpine Skiing

Hirscher to represent Netherlands in 'new project' after announcing surprise comeback

Yesterday at 17:39

Vanessa Mae

Image credit: Eurosport

"In its decision, the CAS Panel accepted the position of the FIS that a number of irregularities had occurred in the organisation and management of the four races in question," CAS said in a statement.

"(The panel) could not find, to its comfortable satisfaction, evidence of any manipulation by Vanessa Vanakorn herself that justified the guilty finding and the imposition of a four-year ban."

Mae is now eligible to qualify for the 2018 Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea.

Alpine Skiing

‘I’ll be there’ – Ryding targets another Olympics after his most successful season to date

09/04/2024 at 10:47

Saalbach-Hinterglemm

Odermatt seals fourth crystal globe of season following ‘strange’ downhill finish

24/03/2024 at 22:04

Alpine Skiing

‘Something special’ - Odermatt overjoyed to win downhill title for fourth World Cup crystal globe

00:02:28

|

24/03/2024 at 20:48