Swimming: Cesar Cielo clear to defend titles after avoiding drugs ban

WORLD champion Cesar Cielo can defend his sprint freestyle titles at the forthcoming World Championships in Shanghai after the Court of Arbitration for Sport reaffirmed the Brazilian swimming federation's decision to warn and not suspend him following a positive drugs test.

Cielo, who won the 50 metres and 100m freestyle titles in Rome two years ago, was one of four Brazilian swimmers to test positive for the banned substance Furosemide at the Maria Genk Trophy in May.

The Brazilian Aquatic Sports Confederation had accepted Cielo's explanation his normal supplements had been cross-contaminated and warned the four swimmers rather than impose a ban of up to two years.

However, governing body FINA appealed to CAS for an urgent hearing and called for three-month bans for Cielo, Nicolas dos Santos and Henrique Barbosa as well as a one-year suspension for Vinicius Waked given it was his second offence.

With the pool competition in China getting under way on Sunday, a speedy resolution was essential and the hearing was held yesterday.

The decision to uphold the warnings, rather than impose a ban as the principle of strict liability dictates, drew strong reaction.

Triple world champion Roland Schoeman tweeted: "FINA and the CAS have done a great disservice to the world of swimming & set a dangerous precedent."

FINA, though, are bound to accept the decision and executive director Cornel Marculescu said: "I respect the decision of the CAS - they are the last legal resort in sports. I'm not satisfied but I think we have done our job."

Cielo was represented by lawyer Howard Jacobs who said: "The arbitrators agreed there was no intent to cheat and no performance enhancing."

Meanwhile, double Olympic champion Rebecca Adlington says the Great Britain team have been inspired by Keri-Anne Payne as they count down to the start of the pool programme.

Payne claimed Great Britain's first medal when she won the 10 kilometre open water race at Jinshan City Beach on Tuesday, qualifying for the 2012 team in the process.

Adlington, who won two Olympic titles on her last visit to China, believes Payne's achievement can give the 40-strong British team impetus.

The 22-year-old said: "We are all so pleased for her. It was a great start to the meet for all of us and gets the ball rolling."

The Great Britain team finished seventh in the synchronised swimming free combination routine yesterday.