The career of Ireland's triple Olympic swimming champion, Michelle de Bruin, appeared to end in disgrace yesterday when the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne, Switzerland, rejected her appeal against a four-year ban imposed by FINA, the sport's governing body, last summer.
The FINA suspension precludes Ms de Bruin from participation in next year's Olympic Games in Sydney and the 2003 World Championships in Fukuoka, Japan.
During the Lausanne hearing it emerged that the drug androstenodione was found in three samples taken from de Bruin between August 1997 and March 1998. She always denied the use of banned substances.
In its statement yesterday, the court said it did not accept Ms de Bruin's contention that it was the responsibility of FINA to eliminate all possibilities other than that the swimmer herself had tampered with a urine sample.
It also accepted FINA's case that Ms De Bruin "was the only person who had the motive and opportunity to manipulate the sample".
The honorary secretary of FINA, Mr Gunnar Werner, commented: "It is not a good thing for swimming to have had this case, but I hope on the other hand that this will serve as a warning for others not to try anything similar. It's better that we know these things and don't hide them."
The Minister for Sport, Dr McDaid, declined to comment on the findings of an individual case, except to say that this was "a difficult time for Michelle de Bruin and her family".
No comment was forthcoming from Ms de Bruin or her legal representatives. In an earlier statement, the swimmer said that if her appeal to CAS failed she might consider proceedings in the European Court of Human Rights, but legal opinion in Switzerland suggests that the arbitration is binding on both parties.
The couple who carried out the urine test at the swimmer's Kilkenny home in January 1998 said last night that they took no satisfaction from the decision except insofar as it had vindicated their integrity.
Mrs Kay Guy said: "It's a sad day for Irish sport. I'm sorry that the pleasure and joy some people got from Michelle's successes has been overshadowed now. But sport has to be protected."
Mr Al Guy said that this was the first case in which individual testers had been "attacked in a thinly-veiled way". Ms de Bruin had had her day in court and had exhausted the procedures. "FINA have been vindicated, and hopefully sport is cleaner", Mr Guy said. "She's got to go and put her life together now and good luck to her. I bear her no enmity. She's a personable young lady, who probably has a good future in broadcasting or public relations, and I wish her the best."
The Fine Gael spokesman on sport, Mr Bernard Allen, said that the outcome was a personal tragedy for Ms de Bruin and a black day for Irish sport. The "glories of Atlanta" had been seriously diminished, he added.