Canadian canoeist Laurence Vincent Lapointe has hearing on doping ban

Laurence-Vincent-Lapointe

Canada's Laurence Vincent Lapointe (Aaron Lynett/CP)

LAUSANNE, Switzerland — Laurence Vincent Lapointe will learn if she is eligible to compete at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics within the next 30 days.

Lapointe, from Trois-Rivieres, Que., attended a closed hearing before the International Canoe Federation’s anti-doping panel on Monday.

Trace amounts of Ligandrol were found in her system during a doping control conducted on July 29.

Lapointe, a former world champion in the C-1 200-metre event, has been provisionally suspended. If the punishment is upheld she will not be allowed to compete at next year’s Summer Games.

The ICF’s anti-doping panel expects to render its decision within the month.

Ligandrol is used to treat conditions such as muscle wasting and osteoporosis but has been added to the World Anti-Doping Agency’s banned substances list because it has a similar effect to anabolic steroids.

Lapointe was accompanied to the three-hour meeting by Canoe Kayak Canada CEO Casey Wade and her lawyer Adam Klevinas to present evidence and arguments in response to the anti-doping rule violation.

[relatedlinks]

When submitting content, please abide by our submission guidelines, and avoid posting profanity, personal attacks or harassment. Should you violate our submissions guidelines, we reserve the right to remove your comments and block your account. Sportsnet reserves the right to close a story’s comment section at any time.