Russell appeals to have one-year ban dismissed

KINGSTON, (Reuters) – West Indies all-rounder Andre Russell has appealed to have his one-year ban for a doping whereabouts rule violation dismissed.

Russell, a two-time Twenty20 World Cup winner, was revealed to have committed the violation a year ago after registering three filing failures in 2015. That constituted a failed drugs test under World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) rules.

Reuters has obtained a copy of Russell’s appeal document that was submitted to the Jamaican Anti-Doping Appeals Tribunal on March 20. It calls for “the decision rendered by the independent anti-doping disciplinary panel be set aside”.

Jamaica’s anti-doping commission (JADCO) has appealed to have Russell’s suspension doubled from one year to two.

In a second filing, Russell called for this appeal to be dismissed on the grounds that there is no basis for his suspension to be extended.