2003 World floor champion Daiane dos Santos is aware of her punishment for testing positive for furosemide last summer and is expected to make a statement to the press later today, Brazilian newspaper Globoesporte reported Thursday.
The International Gymnastics Federation's (FIG) disciplinary commission has evidently come to a decision about whether to discipline dos Santos, but has not yet made the decision public. The decision is expected to be announced shortly before dos Santos addresses the press.
The two-time Olympic floor finalist tested positive for furosemide, a banned diuretic used principally for weight less, on July 2. News about the test was reported by the FIG at the end of October.
Dos Santos, who was recovering from knee surgery all summer, later admitted to using furosemide as part of a beauty treatment to reduce localized fat. In her defense, dos Santos said that she was not planning to return to competition for several months while her knee healed, and therefore expected not to be tested.
Gymnasts who test positive for banned substances can be banned from competition for up to two years. The last high-profile case regarding a gymnast and furosemide came from Vietnam's Do Thi Ngan Thuong, the women's wildcard to the 2008 Olympics.
Thuong, who took the diuretic in the form of weight loss pills, tested positive for furosemide at the Games, was stripped of her Olympic credentials and given a one year suspension. Thuong later testified that she took the pills after seeking advice from older athletes on how to lose weight quickly. Like other diuretics, furosemide causes urination and drains the body of water, which often leads to weight loss.
Dos Santos made history by becaming the first Brazilian woman to win gold at a World Gymnastics Championship. The supertumbler, who resides in Curitiba, Brazil, was also the first woman to compete an Arabian double layout on floor exercise, a skill she debuted at the 2004 Olympics.
Dos Santos has indicated that she intends to continue training for the 2012 London Olympics, and end her career there.
Daiane dos Santos, 2008 Olympic Games Event Finals, Floor Exercise:
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Comments
Quick correction; Daniele Hypolito was actually the first Brazilian to medal at a Worlds, she got a silver on floor in 2001. Dos Santos was the first to get the gold medal.
Thanks fro the correction, Penguin. Fixed!
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