Vanessa-Mae: IOC rule that skier can be called an Olympian
Last updated on .From the section Winter Sports
Violinist Vanessa-Mae will be allowed to call herself an Olympian after it was decided not to disqualify her from the 2014 Sochi Winter Games.
The British citizen, skiing for her father's nation, Thailand, finished 67th - and last - in the giant slalom.
The 37 year old was originally banned for four years after results in her Olympic qualification were manipulated.
The International Olympic Committee decided not to annul her result after she had the ban overturned last June.
Mae qualified for Sochi through four hastily staged races in Krvavec, Slovenia, just days before the deadline in January 2014.
A Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas) panel said "irregularities" occurred in the "organisation and management" of the four races, but there was no direct evidence to implicate Mae in the fixing.
"I was so relieved to have completed both runs at the Winter Olympics, even if it was only to claim last place," said Mae, who was a child prodigy violinist in the late 1980s.
"I'm over the moon that I'm still an Olympian - it's fantastic news and such a positive start to 2016."
| Vanessa-Mae - from child prodigy to Olympian |
|---|
| A skier since the age of four, it was her ambition to compete in the Olympics for more than 20 years. |
| Made her international professional musical debut at the age of 10 in 1988 and the same year made her concerto debut. |
| Released her first album, Violin, when she was 13 years old. |
| She has amassed worldwide record sales in excess of £10m. |
Mae, who raced under her father's surname Vanakorn, paid more than £135,000 to successfully appeal to Cas against the ban imposed by the sport's governing body, the International Ski Federation (FIS), with her case heard in March 2015.
She is expected to return to competitive skiing in March this year.
Mae has the long-term ambition of qualifying for the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea.
