Italian biathlete fails doping test before Olympics
Rebecca Passler is a former junior world champion
- Published
Hosts Italy have been embarrassed days before the start of the Winter Olympics - with their biathlete Rebecca Passler kicked out of the Games because of a failed doping test.
Passler was provisionally suspended by Italy's anti-doping agency (Nado) after she tested positive for banned substance "Letrozole metabolite bis, methanol".
Letrozole is a drug used to lower oestrogen levels and is frequently used to treat breast cancer.
The Italian Olympic Committee said in a statement it has ordered her "immediate exclusion" from the team.
It is the first positive test of an athlete since teams started arriving in Italy for the Milan-Cortina Games, which officially start on Friday.
Passler, 24, achieved her best result at the 2024 IBU World Championships with 11th in the women's 4x6km relay.
She had been set to make her Olympic debut at her home Games, but now faces a lengthy ban from the sport.
Passler's uncle, Johann, is a former two-time biathlon world champion and won two bronze medals at the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary.
