In October 2020, the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) disciplinary tribunal ruled that Naser had not committed an anti-doping rule violation in relation to an alleged filing failure and three missed tests between March 12 and April 12, 2019.
WADA and World Athletics subsequently filed appeals requesting that the tribunal’s decision be set aside and that it be replaced with a new decision in which the 2019 400m world champion is found to have committed an ADRV and sanctioned with a two-year period of ineligibility.
The parties were awaiting dates when CAS would hear the matter. Dr Emir Crowne, who along with Matthew Gayle and Kristie Irving of New City Chambers, confirmed to Sportsmax.TV those dates have now been set for the hearing that will be held virtually.
"While my preference would be for an open hearing, certain sensitive information about Ms Naser will be revealed and we have decided to not press for an open hearing. As the proceedings are closed, that's all I can reveal,” Dr Crowne said while confirming said dates.
Salwa Eid Naser, 22, won the world title in Doha in 48.14, the third-fastest time in history defeating heavy favourite Shaunae Miller-Uibo of the Bahamas, who clocked a personal best 48.37 to claim the silver medal.
Jamaica’s Shericka Jackson was third in a personal best 49.47s
It subsequently came to light that Naser was competing in Doha, having missed three doping tests earlier that year and was not provisionally suspended. She also missed another test in January 2020.
If CAS overturns the initial ruling, the Bahrani athlete would miss this summer’s Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan.
The news comes on the heels of reports that the North American, Central American and Caribbean (NACAC) had issued a statement in support of Bahamian Olympic champion Shaunae Miller-Uibo, who questioned why World Athletics didn’t sanction to Bahrani athlete who defeated her in the final of the 2019 World Championships 400m final in Doha.
Naser won in a world-leading 48.14, the third fastest time in history. However, she had missed three tests on March 12 and 16 and April 12 that year but was not suspended. One of those missed tests was being investigated while Naser was competing in Doha.
Naser was provisionally suspended on June 5, 2020 but was cleared by an Independent Tribunal in October after it was revealed during the hearing that the doping control officer turned up at the wrong address to test Naser.
However, the AIU announced on Twitter today that they would be challenging the decision.
The ban takes effect today.
However, her results from the 2019 World Championships in Doha will remain.
“Ms Salwa Eid Naser is sanctioned with a period of ineligibility of two years, commencing on the date of notification of this award, with credit given for the period of provisional suspension already served between 4 June 2020 and 14 October 2020,” CAS said.
“All competitive results obtained by Ms Salwa Eid Naser from November 25, 2019, through to the date of notification of this award shall be disqualified, with all of the resulting consequences, including forfeiture of any medals, titles, ranking points and prize and appearance money.”
She will also have to pay 5000 Swiss francs to World Athletics and to the World Anti-Doping Agency as a contribution towards their costs connection with these arbitration proceedings.”
In the wake of the ruling, the attorneys representing the athlete Dr Emir Crowne, Mr Matthew Gayle and Ms Kristie Irving have expressed concern about a part of the CAS ruling which can have serious implications for athletes. "A majority of the panel says it is okay for the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) to re-characterize charges in the middle of an appeal. So, the majority of the panel said WADA can re-characterize a missed test as a filing failure if they want to. With all due respect to the majority of the panel, that can't be right. That cannot be a fair principle in any court system," Dr Crowne told Sportsmax.TV this morning.
The Nigerian-born 400m runner was charged with four alleged whereabouts failures by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) in June 2020. These included filing failures on March 16, 2019, and three missed tests on March 12 and April 12 as well as January 24, 2020.
However, the World Athletics Disciplinary Tribunal ruled the alleged violation in April 2019 should not stand which meant Naser had not missed three tests.
Naser won the world title in a time of 48.14, the third-fastest time in history defeating Shanuae-Miller Uibo who ran a lifetime best of 48.37 and Shericka Jackson who also clocked a personal best of 49.47 for third.
The decision came after the tribunal dismissed a missed test after the tester knocked on a storage unit door rather than her apartment.
Naser was provisionally suspended by the Athletics Integrity Unit on June 5, for missing three drug tests prior to her participation in the 2019 World Athletics Championships in Doha Qatar where she won gold in the 400m in 48.14s the third fastest time in history.
The athlete was pleased about the outcome.
"Ms. Naser is, of course, extremely happy with the outcome. As one can imagine, this has been quite the ordeal for her and she can now put this behind her and focus on her training," said her representative Dr Emir Crowne.
Pryce, Jamaica’s national record holder and the fastest woman in the world this year over the distance with a time of 48.57, displayed her class by cruising to victory in the second of six heats. Pryce clocked a comfortable 50.02, ensuring her place in the semi-finals without expending unnecessary energy.
Her compatriot, Stacey-Ann Williams, also delivered a strong performance, securing second place in the opening heat with a season’s best time of 50.16. Williams finished behind the 2019 world champion Salwa Eid Naser of Bahrain, who posted a swift 49.91, signaling her intent to reclaim her dominance in the event.
Bromfield rounded out the Jamaican qualifiers with a solid third-place finish in the final heat, crossing the line in 51.36. This heat was dominated by Ireland’s Rhasidat Adeleke, who looked impressive with a winning time of 50.09, while the USA’s Alexis Holmes followed closely in 50.35.
Barbados’ Sada Williams, a two-time world championship bronze medalist, continued to impress with a third-place finish in Heat 4, clocking 50.45. Poland’s Natalia Kaczmarek, the European champion, won the heat with a sharp 49.98, indicating that she will be a formidable competitor in the semi-finals.
Paulino of the Dominican Republic, the reigning world champion, demonstrated why she is a favorite for gold by easily winning her heat. Paulino clocked a blistering 49.42, the fastest time in the qualifying rounds, with Cuba’s Roxana Gomez finishing second in 50.38.
In other heats, Great Britain’s Amber Anning, a fellow Razorback of Pryce, won Heat 3 with a time of 49.98, narrowly edging out Netherlands’ Lieke Klaver, who finished in 49.96.
However, not all Caribbean athletes had a smooth path to the semi-finals. Aliyah Abrams of Guyana will have to navigate the repechage round to secure her spot, adding an element of uncertainty to her Olympic journey.
In the men's 110m hurdles, Jamaica's Rasheed Broadbell, the Olympic bronze medalist, and his compatriot Orlando Bennett will face off against the formidable American Olympic champion Grant Holloway. Holloway, a two-time world champion, is known for his explosive speed and technical prowess, but the rising French sensation Sasha Zhoya, who has been making waves on the European circuit, is also in the mix. This highly anticipated race is set to be a highlight of the meet, with Broadbell and Bennett looking to upset the reigning champion.
On the women's side, the 100m hurdles will see a clash of titans as Jamaica's Ackera Nugent, the second-fastest woman in the world this year, takes on a formidable field. Nugent, an Olympic finalist and Jamaican champion, will go up against 2019 World champion Nia Ali, former world record holder Kendra Harrison, and Olympic champion Masai Russell. The stacked lineup guarantees a fierce competition, with Nugent aiming to cement her place among the best.
In the blue-riband 100m dash, Jamaica's sprinting sensation Kishane Thompson, who holds the fastest time in the world this year at 9.77 seconds, will lead a trio of Jamaican sprinters. Thompson will be joined by Rohan Watson and Ackeem Blake as they take on an all-star cast, including Olympic champion Marcell Lamont Jacobs, American Fred Kerley, and African champion Ferdinand Omanyala. Christian Coleman, the former world champion, is also in the lineup, making this race one of the most anticipated events of the day.
The women's 100m promises to be equally electrifying, with Jamaica's two-time world champion Danielle Williams set to battle for a spot in the final against American Olympic finalist Grace Stark and French Olympic silver medalist Cyrena Samba-Mayela. With the level of talent on display, this race is poised to be a showstopper.
In the field events, Jamaica's Rajindra Campbell, the Olympic bronze medalist in the shot put, will face the ultimate test as he goes up against Olympic champion and world record holder Ryan Crouser. The shot put competition is expected to be intense, with Campbell aiming to challenge the seemingly unbeatable Crouser.
The 400m hurdles will feature Jamaica's Roshawn Clarke and Jaheel Hyde, both Olympic finalists, taking on a strong field that includes Norway's Karsten Warholm, the Olympic silver medalist, and Estonia’s Rasmus Magi. The women's 400m hurdles will see a quartet of Jamaican stars—Rushell Clayton, Shian Salmon, Andrennette Knight, and Janieve Russell—competing against American Olympic silver medalist Anna Cockrell and former world record holder Dalilah Mohammed.
In the triple jump, Jamaica's Olympic silver medalist Shanieka Ricketts and compatriot Ackelia Smith will face a tough challenge from Cuba’s Laidagmis Povea and American Olympic bronze medalist Jasmine Moore.
Barbadian star Sada Williams will represent her country in the 400m, where she will take on an exceptional field that includes Olympic gold medalist Marileidy Paulino, silver medalist Salwa Eid Naser, and USA’s rising star Alexis Holmes. The presence of Irish sensation Rhasidat Adeleke adds further intrigue to this already competitive race.
The meet will close with the women’s 100m dash, featuring Jamaica's Olympic finalists Tia Clayton and Natasha Morrison. They will face off against Great Britain’s Dina Asher-Smith, Ivory Coast’s Marie Jose Ta Lou, and the USA’s Tamari Davis. With so much talent on display, this race promises to be a fitting finale to a day of high-octane athletics.
Paulino, known for her powerful and controlled running style, took command of the race from the start. She maintained her composure through the first 300m and then unleashed a devastating kick down the home stretch, pulling away from a world-class field to claim her first Olympic title. Her time of 48.17 seconds broke the long-standing Olympic record of 48.25 seconds, set by Marie-José Pérec at the 1996 Atlanta Games.
Trailing Paulino was Bahrain's Salwa Eid Naser, who clocked a season-best 48.53 seconds to take the silver medal. Naser, who has been gradually returning to her best form after a few challenging seasons, showed glimpses of the brilliance that saw her run the third-fastest time in history, 48.14 seconds, at the 2019 World Championships in Doha.
The bronze medal went to Natalia Kaczmarek of Poland, who crossed the line in 48.98 seconds, marking her as the third woman in the race to break the 49-second barrier—a testament to the extraordinary quality of the competition.
The race was exceptional from start to finish, with all eight finalists clocking sub-50-second times. Ireland’s rising star, Rhasidat Adeleke, finished fourth in 49.28 seconds, just a fraction ahead of Great Britain's Amber Anning, who set a new personal best of 49.29 seconds. Alexis Holmes of the USA also set a lifetime best, finishing sixth in 49.77 seconds, while Sada Williams of Barbados was seventh in 49.83 seconds. Norway's Henriette Jaeger rounded out the field, finishing eighth in 49.96 seconds.
Paulino’s victory adds another prestigious trophy to her growing collection, which already includes two World Championship silver medals. Her performance in Paris not only cements her legacy but also raises the bar for future generations of 400m runners.
Paulino, who won silver in Tokyo three years ago, crossed the finish line in 48.17 seconds, eclipsing Marie-Jose Perec's previous record of 48.25 that had stood since 1996.
It was the latest confirmation of the Dominican's recent dominance in the event following her victory at last year's World Championships in Budapest.
Salwa Eid Naser of Bahrain finished in second, while Poland's Natalia Kaczmarek claimed bronze.
Great Britain's Amber Anning finished in fifth, breaking Christine Ohuruogu's British record, which has stood for 11 years, with a time of 49.29 seconds.
"I’m absolutely blessed. I am a little bit disappointed. I wanted to come away with three things," Anning said.
"It was either a medal, a PB or a national record and I got one of them. I'm just grateful to be in this position with these amazing girls.
"It was tough [the race], I think I let myself have too much work coming into home straight but I just used my strength.
"It’s been an amazing experience. "It’s still not done yet. I've got the relay tomorrow."
The Bahamian track star also called on World Athletics President Lord Sebastien Coe to provide a detailed explanation of all the different failures that unfolded in the Naser case.
Naser, 22, who won gold at the 2019 World Athletics Championships in Doha, was on Tuesday cleared by an independent tribunal after she was charged with missing three missed drug tests in just over a month in 2019, due to a technicality and because one of the missed drug tests for which she was charged, was successfully challenged by her lawyers Dr. Emir Crowne and Matthew Gayle.
The Bahranian missed the tests on March 12 and 16 and April 12, 2019, six months before the start of the Doha World Championships. She was eventually provisionally suspended on June 5, 2020 following the investigation of a fourth missed test on January 24, 2020.
Miller-Uibo wants to know why her rival was not suspended once those initial three tests were missed in mid-2019.
"Why was no action taken?" asked Miller-Uibo in a lengthy post in Instagram Wednesday. "Why was the athlete not provisionally suspended until one year and two months later?"
"I cry foul play and believe there is a deeper explanation of how World Athletics... allowed this to carry on.
“We need to ensure that in athletics, we the athletes are not competing against any administrators whose only goal is for athletes to run faster, jump further and throw further at any cost."
Miller-Uibo said she was concerned about whether World Athletics and the Athletics Integrity Unit are truly out to protect clean athletes.
“As senior administrators, their purpose is to protect and advance their athletes to the best of their abilities,” she said while indicating that the “recent turn of events” opens the door to many questions.
“How is it possible that this case lingered on until the World Championships?” she asked.
She said the Naser case and others like it “strengthens the need for an independent body to serve alongside the World Athletics-appointed representatives.”
“With the independent athletes’ body, more accountability will be given as we try our best to rebuild trust and integrity in our beloved sport,” she said.
Naser, 22, the 2019 World Championships Women 400m champion, was provisionally suspended on June 4, 2020, under Article 2.4 of the WADA Code. According to the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU), Naser missed four drug tests within the last year, which amounts to an anti-doping violation.
The athlete has declared her innocence.
“I’ve never been a cheat. I will never be,” she said. “I only missed three drug tests, which is normal. It happens. It can happen to anybody. I don’t want people to get confused in all this because I would never cheat.”
Consequently, Dr Crowne, of the firm New City Chambers, told Sportsmax.TV on Sunday that he is now representing the beleaguered world champion.
"I don't want to reveal too much about our strategy, save to say that we've denied the charges and reserved all of Ms Naser's defences - including the right to seek a reduction in the period of Ineligibility, if any, and the fairness of disqualifying any applicable competitive results," Dr Crowne said.
The AIU was investigating the third of Naser’s missed tests in October 2019 while the transplanted Nigerian was winning her first world title in Doha. She won in 48.14, the third-fastest time in history while upsetting the heavy pre-race favourite Shaunae Miller-Uibo of the Bahamas.
According to the AIU, a fourth missed test occurred in January 2020.
“The investigation into Ms Naser’s three whereabouts failures in 2019 was ongoing at the time of the Doha World Championships and she was not provisionally suspended at that time. Following the conclusion of the investigation and a fourth whereabouts failure in January 2020, a Notice of Charge was issued and Ms Naser was subject to an immediate provisional suspension,” the AIU said in a statement on the matter.
The independent Disciplinary Tribunal hears and determines all first instance disciplinary cases under the World Athletics Anti-Doping Rules or the World Athletics Integrity Code of Conduct.
The Disciplinary Tribunal is chaired by Charles Hollander QC and it currently has a panel of 47 tribunal members from 31 different countries covering all six areas recognised by World Athletics. The secretariat to the Disciplinary Tribunal is managed by Sport Resolutions, an independent dispute resolution service based in London, UK.
Dr Crowne, who is handling this matter pro bono, has had prior success in matters involving alleged whereabouts violations. He represented Jamaican 400m runner Riker Hylton, who was cleared of similar anti-doping violations in 2017.
In October, the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) disciplinary tribunal had ruled that Naser had not committed an anti-doping rule violation in relation to an alleged filing failure and missed tests. The tests were missed between March 12 and April 12, 2019.
In its appeal to the CAS, World Athletics requested that the AIU decision "be set aside and that it be replaced with a new decision in which the 2019 400m world champion is found to have committed an ADRV and sanctioned with a two-year period of ineligibility.
The athlete has retained the services of Dr Emir Crowne, Matthew Gayle and Kristie Irving of Trinidad-based New City Chambers, who confirmed that WADA had also appealed the ruling.
"I can confirm that WADA has launched a separate appeal against the decision of World Athletics' Disciplinary Tribunal in the Salwa Naser matter,” Dr Crowne told Sportsmax.TV.
“We will be asking that WADA's appeal be consolidated with World Athletics' appeal, and that the hearing be open to the public."
The Nigerian-born athlete who now competes for Bahrain ran the third fastest time in history while winning the 400m title in Doha. Only Marita Koch (47.60) and Jarmila Kratochvílová (47.99) have run faster than her 48.14. Naser also had a missed test against her name in January 2020, a strike that still stands.
Naser was charged under Article 2.4 of the WADA Code that relates to whereabouts violations, according to the Athletics Integrity Unit of World Athletics.
Athletes are required to provide regular updates on their whereabouts to make it possible for anti-doping authorities to carry out surprise testing outside of competition.
A violation means an athlete either did not fill out forms telling authorities where they could be found or were not where they said they would be when testers arrived.
Three missed tests over a period of 12 months are the equivalent of a doping violation.
At the World Championships in Doha, Qatar, the Nigerian born runner stormed to victory in a world-leading 48.14s, the third-fastest time in history upsetting gold the medal favourite Shaunae Miller-Uibo of the Bahamas.
If a case is proven against her she could miss next year's Olympics set for Tokyo, Japan.
