Canadian Curler Briane Harris Suspended After Positive Drug Test at Championships

Canadian curler Briane Harris has been temporarily suspended after testing positive for the substance Ligandrol at the championships.

The 32-year-old athlete, from Winnipeg, was excluded from the Hearts Tournament in Calgary just hours before her team, led by skip Kerri Einarson, was set to play their first match on February 16.

Curling Canada expressed disappointment at the news in a statement, emphasizing their commitment to maintaining a clean and safe sport in line with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport (CCES).

Harris tested positive for Ligandrol during an out-of-competition anti-doping test on January 24 and was informed of the result on the evening of February 15. She promptly notified Curling Canada the following morning.

She requested that the CCES open the B sample for retesting, but it yielded the same result. Curling Canada’s General Manager, Nolan Thiessen, stated that at this stage, they act as observers and will accept the verdict in this case.

Ligandrol is a banned substance by WADA, often used as a steroid alternative. According to the United States Doping Agency, Ligandrol, also known as LGD-4033, has no medical use.

Harris’ lawyer, Amanda Fowler, suggested that Harris may have been inadvertently exposed to the substance and is eager to clear her name through the legal process. The case will be handled by the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne, Switzerland.

In a rare instance of doping in curling, the Russian pair of Alexander Krushelnitsky and Anastasia Bryzgalova lost their bronze medal in the mixed doubles event at the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics after Krushelnitsky tested positive for meldonium.