By Mike Rowbottom

Turkey's Nevin Yanit, pictured celebrating victory in the 100m hurdles at the 2012 European Athletics Championships, has had her doping ban increased from two to three years ©AFP/Getty ImagesTurkey's two-time European 100 metres hurdles gold medallist Nevin Yanit has had her two-year doping ban increased by a further year by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). 


The 29-year-old Yanit, the European 100m hurdles champion in 2010 and 2012 and reigning European Indoor 60m hurdles champion until tonight's victory in Prague by Alina Talay of Belarus, was banned for two years by the Turkish Athletic Federation after testing positive in August 2013 for banned substances during a competition in Germany.

However, the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), which this year adopted standard four-year bans for serious doping offences, appealed to CAS to increase her ban to four years after "multiple positive findings".

The IAAF supported this request with evidence of violations of its rules based on data taken from Yanit's Athlete Biological Passport, which could not be taken into account as an additional violation but which counted as an aggravating factor for the purpose of determining the athlete's sanction.

The TAF did not participate in the CAS proceedings.

The Panel of CAS arbitrators appointed to hear this matter  Yves Fortier of Canada, the Panel's President, Romano Subiotto of Belgium/UK, and Michele Bernasconi of Switzerland, concluded that there were aggravating circumstances which warranted a period of ineligibility in excess of that applied by TAF.

Turkey's Nevin Yanit, pictured retaining her European outdoor 100m hurdles title in 2012, has had her doping ban increased from two to three years following an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport by the International Association of Athletics Federations ©Getty ImagesTurkey's Nevin Yanit, pictured retaining her European outdoor 100m hurdles title in 2012, has had her doping ban increased from two to three years following an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport by the International Association of Athletics Federations ©Getty Images

According to a CAS press release, the Panel "noted specifically that Yanit used two prohibited substances - stanozolol and testosterone - on multiple occasions between August 2012 and February 2013, and committed a separate anti-doping rule violation, namely blood doping, between June 2012 and February 2013.

"Taking into consideration other similar CAS cases (in particular the case Alemitu Bekele v. TAF in which the athlete's suspension was fixed at two years and nine months), as well as the particular circumstances of this case, the CAS Panel determined that a period of ineligibility of three years should be imposed on the athlete, rather than a period of four years as requested by the IAAF," the Panel said in a statement.

"Accordingly, the IAAF's appeal is partially upheld and Ms Yanit is sanctioned with a three-year period of ineligibility, beginning on March 6, 2013."

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