Dominican Lisvel Eve Mejia faces 4-year doping suspension

Santo Domingo—Volleyball player Lisvel Eve Mejía, who was removed from the Dominican national team that will compete in the 2024 Olympic Games for testing positive for doping, faces a four-year suspension.

However, the time could be appealed because she admitted the use of medication containing furosemide, a substance banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). This drug is on the banned list for being used to mask other substances in the body.

“There is no chance that she will not be suspended. She will be suspended even if she has admitted the use of drugs, that will help us to be able to fight in good terms for a reduction of the sanction because what the regulations say is that for this substance it is automatically 4 years,” said Dr. Victor Figuereo, doctor of the Dominican national team.

Figueroa said that furosemide comes from a diuretic.

When the news was released that “La China” had tested positive for doping, the Dominican Olympic Committee reported that the player declared that she had ingested the medication without knowing what exactly it contained, as she said that it was only because “she was retaining liquid.”

“It is an extremely regrettable case, I feel very bad and disappointed with myself, it was an oversight on my part not to have investigated before, the medication I used to control fluid retention in my body (Furosemide) which has yielded a doping test in the last VLN,” expressed Lisvel Eve Mejiain the statement released by the Olympic Committee.

“Despite what happened, the athlete said she felt at peace with herself, as she considers herself an integrated, honest, calm and hardworking young woman, and thanked the support offered by her teammates, especially Cristóbal Marte and director Milagros Cabral,” added the Committee.