In mid-July, the Polish Canoe Federation reported that trace amounts of a prohibited substance, clostebol, were found in Borowska's sample. By decision of the International Canoe Federation, the 28-year-old Pole was immediately suspended and removed from the Olympic team.
The ill-fated substance was supposed to have found its way into Borowska's body through an ointment that the canoeist rubbed into her dog's paws when the canine injured them during a walk at a training camp in Savoy, Italy.
Desperate to prove her innocence, immediately after hearing the verdict Borowska set off with her dog to Strasbourg - in order for the both of them to be examined by a doctor specialising in such situations.
According to the Polish Kayaking Association, the results confirmed the athlete's innocence. And yet - the head of POLADA, Michał Rynkowski, informed on Thursday that despite explanations provided, the suspension of the Polish canoeist had not been lifted.
"The Thursday decision most likely ultimately destroys Dorota's hopes of participating in the Olympic Games in Paris. However, we are not giving up, we are still submitting a letter to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Lausanne with a request for an expedited hearing. It is difficult to say, though, if it will take place before Borowska's first Olympic race..."
- the Polish Canoe Federation president, Grzegorz Kotowicz, said on Thursday
And yet, on Sunday the head of POLADA announced that according to an official verdict "Borowska was found neither guilty nor negligent" - and the athlete will partake in the Summer Games after all!
Borowska is the most decorated active Polish female canoeist. Her successes include the gold medal at the European Games in Krakow and the title of European champion, which she won in the summer of 2024 in Szeged, Hungary. At these competitions, she also performed brilliantly in the pair with Sylwia Szczerbińska - with whom she won two silver medals, in the 200 and 500 m categories.
Borowska made her Olympic debut three years ago in Tokyo, where she took fourth place in the C1 200 m run.
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Source: IAR
