After months of legal maneuvering, the FIM announced its decision on Noriyuki Haga’s appeal. To remind you, Haga tested positive for an illegal substance following the Kyalami, South Africa round of the WSB championship earlier this year. After affording Haga’s employer, Yamaha, its version of due process the FIM issued the following press release this morning. The effect is to prevent Haga from racing the remainder of this year, and strip him of his South Africa points (second race only):
The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) convened in a hearing yesterday in Lausanne (Switzerland) to judge the appeal lodged by Japanese rider Noriyuki Haga against the decision of the FIM International Tribunal of Appeal (TIA) of June 30, 2000. This decision notably prohibited him from taking part in any of the activities under FIM control for a period of three weeks as from June 30, 2000. On July 6, the CAS had stayed the execution of the decision taken by the TIA.
Following a doping control carried out at the Superbike World Championship round in Kyalami (South Africa) on April 2, the urine samples (A and B) of Mr. Haga contained a quantity of ephedrine above the cut-off level. The CAS gave it’s decision this morning: Mr. Haga is excluded from the results of the second race (not of the first race) of the event held in Kyalami-RSA, and is suspended for a period of three weeks as from today, October 12 (exclusive of the 7 days already served at the beginning of July).
The full decision will be notified later. The decision of the CAS is final. The classification of the Superbike World Championship is the following:
1) Colin Edwards (USA-Honda) 367 2) Noriyuki Haga (JPN-Yamaha) 335 3) Troy Corser (AUS-Aprilia) 285 4) Pierfrancesco Chili (ITA-Suzuki) 232 5) Akira Yanagawa (JPN-Kawasaki) 228 6) Troy Bayliss (AUS-Ducati) 223 7) Ben Bostrom (USA-Ducati) 168 8) Aaron Slight (NZL-Honda) 142 9) Katsuaki Fujiwara (JPN-Suzuki) 139 10) Gregorio Lavilla (SPA-Kawasaki) 115
