Italian MotoGP rider Andrea Iannone was suspended four years for an anti-doping violation on Tuesday, after the Court of Arbitration for Sport extended his initial 18-month suspension following an appeal.
Iannone, 31, was suspended in March after testing positive for an anabolic steroid in a urine sample collected at an in-competition test at the Malaysian MotoGP in Sepang last November.
The Aprilia rider was also disqualified from the final two races of the 2019 season — in Malaysia and then Valencia — which he had not finished.
In its ruling, CAS said the Italian’s suspension would be backdated to December 17, 2019.
Iannone had contested that the presence of drostanolone in his system was the result of eating contaminated meat in Malaysia.
However, CAS rejected his argument and upheld a WADA appeal seeking a four-year ban.