 Hamilton won time-trial gold in Athens |
America's Tyler Hamilton has had his appeal against a two-year ban for doping rejected by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). Hamilton, 34, tested positive for blood transfusions at the 2004 Tour of Spain, weeks after winning Olympic gold.
He had given a similar positive test in Athens, but escaped sanction when the "B" sample was frozen and destroyed.
"The US Anti-Doping Agency proved its tests... were undertaken in the approved manner," said a CAS statement.
The US Anti-Doping Agency imposed a two-year ban on Hamilton, who won time-trial gold in Athens, last April, but Hamilton said the test used was unreliable.
A blood transfusion allows athletes to increase their oxygen-rich red blood cells, thus increasing aerobic power and endurance.
CAS confirmed that the ban started not in April, but in September, when Hamilton accepted a provisional suspension.
MMIX
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