Grenadian quarter-miler Bralon Taplin has received a four-year ban for

avoiding a drug test in 2019.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) today threw out the athlete’s

appeal, stating that it is “comfortably satisfied” that he intentionally

avoided a drug test after competing at the Grenada Invitational last year.

“Considering all of the

evidence accepted in this procedure, the sole arbitrator was comfortably

satisfied that the athlete was guilty of the offence of evading sample

collection and confirmed the four-year period of ineligibility, which commenced

on 25 September 2019, the date on which the provisional suspension began,”

CAS said.

Taplin was banned by the Caribbean Regional Anti-Doping Organization

last year, a ruling which the CAS upheld today.

This means Taplin will not be eligible to compete until the sanction

ends in September 2023.

As a result, the seventh-place finisher at the Rio Olympics will miss

the Tokyo Olympics, which was rescheduled to next year, and the next two World Championships.