Ex-Olympic champ Guenot banned for doping violations

 Steeve Guenot, who won wrestling gold at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, was banned for a year by the French anti-doping agency (AFLD) on Thursday for missing doping controls.
The 29-year-old six-time French national champion, who also won bronze in the 66kg category at the 2012 London Games, firstly failed to give details of his whereabouts, which resulted in a warning.
The former security guard on the Paris regional transport network was also absent from his house for two early morning out-of-competition tests when he should have been present.
The sanctions will end on July 30, 2015.
Guenot, who has never tested positive for doping, will not appeal the decision the French Wrestling Federation (FFL) said.
He will miss the inaugural European Games in Baku in June, which could hamper his bid for a ticket to the 2016 Olympic Games, but will compete in the world championships in Las Vegas in September, the first stage in the qualification process for Rio.
"Steeve is the first victim of these breaches and deserves appropriate help in the coming months not to turn his sanction into a double punishment," the FFL said in a statement.
The FFL had pleaded "administrative negligence" and pointed out that Guenot, France's first Olympic wrestling champion, had been "regularly tested since Beijing".
Source: AFP