The wait for a decision on the fate of Irish triple Olympic swimmer Michelle de Bruin is unlikely to last more than a few days. After a lengthy hearing in Lausanne on Friday, the three-man doping commission came to no decision and discussed the case again briefly on Saturday morning.
Harm Beyer, the Hamburg-based magistrate who chaired the de Bruin hearing on Friday, took charge of a further disciplinary session on Saturday morning back in the FINA headquarters.
The doping panel banned 30-year-old British swimmer Mike Fibins for one year, having heard the swimmer tell them how he had made a mistake and consumed cocaine on a night out. Fibins said afterwards that the panel had told him they were not inclined towards leniency in the current climate.
After the hearing, Beyer commented briefly on the de Bruin case. "We know the road we are going down now, but it will take a few days to complete things."
It is thought that given the delicacy of what is FINA's first ever tampering case and the length of the submission presented by de Bruin's solicitor Peter Lennon on Friday, FINA will want to consult with their own legal advisers before committing to any decision.
The members of the doping panel went their separate ways early on Saturday afternoon. Gunnar Werner, honorary secretary of FINA, left for New York.
The panel brought away source materials with them and intend to have a telephone conference during the week before making a decision. In a brief two-line press statement, released by FINA on Saturday afternoon, it was stressed that a decision would be announced as soon as the details had been tidied up and the swimmer herself had been informed.
If de Bruin receives a ban she has already said that she will appeal the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, also in Lausanne.
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