Bulgarian Sprinter Naimova Will Not Appeal Life Ban - Report

Naimova, 26, won the 60m title at the European Indoor Championships in Gothenburg in March this year, but has been stripped of the gold medal. File photo

Bulgaria’s European indoor sprint champion Tezdzhan Naimova does not intend to appeal the life ban she was imposed after testing positive doping, media reports say.

Naimova was imposed a life-long ban after her second doping offense was confirmed by the country’s athletics federation on September 17.

Naimova can appeal to the Lausanne-based Court of Arbitration for Sport, but does not want to, according to unconfirmed media reports.

At the beginning of June the country’s athletics federation announced that Naimova has been temporarily suspended after testing positive for taking anabolic steroid Drostanolone at the European indoor championship in Gothenburg in March.

After reviewing the case, the Bulgarian athletics federation confirmed on Tuesday the charges, imposing a life ban.

Naimova has been widely regarded as one of Bulgaria’s most promising athletes.

She won the women's 60 race at the European Indoor Athletics Championships in Gothenburg, Sweden, in 7.10 seconds, nosing out Mariya Ryemyen of Ukraine.

France's Myriam Soumare was third, while Bulgaria’s Ivet Lalova ranked fourth.

At the beginning of 2009 Tezdzhan Naimova was banned for two years for manipulating a doping sample.

We need your support so Novinite.com can keep delivering news and information about Bulgaria! Thank you!