Sawt Falasteen - Italian biathlete Passler cleared to compete at Olympics despite positive test

The Italian Winter Sports Federation (FISI) announced Friday that NADO had accepted the athlete's claim of "unintentional" ingestion or contamination involving letrozole, a prohibited substance.

The 24-year-old has been provisionally suspended since February 2 after her sample showed the presence of the drug, used to treat breast cancer, NADO said.

According to media reports, Passler said she tested positive after eating a chocolate spread with a spoon previously used by her mother, who is being treated for cancer.

"She will rejoin her teammates on the Italian team starting Monday February 16," FISI said in a statement, adding that it "welcomes the outcome of this appeal".

Passler said in the statement: "The last few days have been very difficult. I always believed in my good faith. Now I can finally concentrate 100 percent on biathlon."

The prohibited substance was detected in an out-of-competition test on January 26, which fell outside the official Games testing window.

Passler, the niece of Johann Passler, a bronze medallist at the 1988 Calgary Games, currently stands 33rd in the overall World Cup standings.

Olympic biathlon events are taking place in her home town of Anterselva.

Passler has already missed the individual event and will miss the sprint race this weekend.

She could still theoretically participate in the women's relay on February 18, but not in the mass start three days later as she does not meet the qualification criteria.

"She will train with the team on Monday and Tuesday, and we will make a decision on whether or not she will participate in the relay," said Italian team director Klaus Hollrigl.

"We will try to understand how she is physically and mentally."

He added: "What happened is easily explained. The concentration (of the banned substance) is very, very low, but how it got into the bloodstream is not for me to explain."

O.Farraj--SF-PST