MILAN (AP) — Suspended Italian biathlete Rebecca Passler has asked the Court of Arbitration for Sport to let her race at the Milan Cortina Olympics, arguing her positive doping test was because of contamination and she is not to blame.
The court said Saturday it expects to hear Passler’s appeal on Tuesday.
“Ms. Passler requests CAS to annul the suspension due to lack of intent and negligence and to allow her to participate in the Olympic Winter Games,” the court said. “The application argues that the (positive test) is a case of contamination with no fault of the athlete.”
CAS did not set a target for a verdict. The women’s 15-kilometer event in Passler's home town of Anterselva is Wednesday and the 7.5-kilometer sprint is next Saturday.
Passler was taken out of competition Monday by the Italian anti-doping agency after testing positive for letrozole in sample taken while training last month. The drug can be used in the treatment of breast cancer and also control the effects of steroid use.
AP Winter Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics
FILE - Rebecca Passler of Italy competes during the women's Biathlon World Cup 7.5 km sprint competition at the Biathlon World Cup in Hochfilzen, Austria, Friday, Dec. 8, 2023. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader, file)
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuela's acting President Delcy Rodríguez announced a major Cabinet shake-up Wednesday with the appointment of a new defense minister to replace Gen. Vladimir Padrino López, who had been a cornerstone of the military’s long-standing support for former President Nicolás Maduro.
Rodríguez announced the transition on her Telegram channel, saying the appointment of Gen. Gustavo González López to the role was effective immediately. She also thanked Padrino López for his “loyalty to the Homeland” and expressed confidence in his future roles.
The announcement comes more than 10 weeks after Rodríguez became acting head of state following the Jan. 3 U.S. military operation that captured Maduro to put him on trial in the U.S. on drug trafficking charges.
The Trump administration has since ramped up pressure on the Maduro loyalists currently governing the oil-rich nation.
González López has an extensive intelligence background and faced U.S. sanctions for his role in cracking down on 2014 street protests. Since Jan. 6, when Rodríguez reshuffled her security detail, he has served as commander general of the presidential honor guard and head of the military’s feared counterintelligence agency.
Padrino López was one of the longest-serving Cabinet ministers after Maduro took office in 2013 and one the country's longest-serving defense ministers following his appointment in 2014.
Follow AP’s coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america
Venezuela's Defense Minister Gustavo Gonzalez Lopez waits for the World Classic Baseball trophy a day after their team's victory over the United States in the championship match, at the Miraflores presidential palace in Caracas, Venezuela, Wednesday, March 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)
FILE - Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, left, and Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez attend a government-organized civic-military march in Caracas, Venezuela, Nov. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos, File)
