BOYS FROM BRAZIL TO FACE MUSIC IN SHANGHAI

Swimming, July 14:  The fate of Brazilian swimmers Cesar Cielo, Nicholas dos Santos, Henrique Ribeiro Marques Barbosa and Vinicus Rocha Barbosa Waked will be sealed just hours before the start of this year's FINA World Championships in Shanghai.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) announced details over night of an expedited hearing to be held in the days leading up to start of the Championships following positive drug tests in May.

FINA challenged the warning given to the four by Brazilian Aquatics Confederation  (CBDA), which led to the intervention by CAS, which  issued the following press release announcing the hearing.

"Following the registration of four appeals filed by the International Swimming Federation (FINA) against Cesar Cielo, Nicholas dos Santos, Henrique Ribeiro Marques Barbosa and Vinicus Rocha Barbosa Waked and the Brazilian Aquatics Confederation  (CBDA), the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) confirms that these matters will be settled by way of an expedited procedure.

"A CAS Panel will hear all parties concerned at a hearing which will take place in Shanghai on 20 July 2011, with some parties and witnesses participating via video conference. The hearing should last approximately half-a-day.

"Then, the arbitral Panel will start its deliberations and will render its final decisions no later than 22 July 2011 at the end of the day (Swiss time).

"In its appeals, FINA requests that the warnings issued by the CBDA be replaced by a period of ineligibility and that the results achieved by the athletes from the date of sample collection (7/8 May 2011 depending on athlete concerned) until the commencement of the period of ineligibility be annulled."