PORT-OF-SPAIN, Trinidad (CMC) – Leading Trinidad and Tobago female badminton player Nekeisha Blake, who was banned for life from the sport, has been granted a reprieve.

An appeals committee of the Trinidad and Tobago Badminton Association (T&TBA) reduced Blake’s lifetime ban to a year after she protested the initial decision of the Disciplinary Committee.

Blake and her team of lawyers argued that the lifetime ban was a breach of natural justice and complained that the Disciplinary Committee failed to clearly state the reason for imposing the penalty.

“A ban is still a ban, but I give God thanks for everything. I am weighing my options at the moment,” said Blake in a telephone interview with the Guardian. “Badminton is the love of my life, but I am keeping busy with other ventures while I continue to trust in God.”

The charges against Blake ranged from not maintaining respect towards officials and athletes to refusing to obey orders from a head coach during training.

Blake, who has represented T&T for 17 years, will be free to resume her career in August when the one-year retroactive ban expires.