Ukrainian Olympic gymnast Verniaiev’s doping ban halved

LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AP) — Olympic gymnastics champion Oleg Verniaiev has had the doping ban which caused him to miss the Tokyo Games halved at the Court of Arbitration for Sport. The decision potentially paves the way for his return at next year’s Olympics in Paris. The 29-year-old Ukrainian tested positive for the banned substance meldonium in an out-of-competition test in August 2020. He was originally banned for four years. But the CAS decision frees him to compete immediately. CAS ruled there were grounds to reduce his ban but didn’t explain its reasoning in a brief statement ahead of the expected publication of a full ruling.