Jessica Hardy doping case hearing in March, swimmer’s 2012 Olympics status at stake

Swimmer Hardy’s doping hearing set for March

LAUSANNE, Switzerland — American swimmer Jessica Hardy will face a court hearing next year that will determine whether she will compete in the 2012 London Olympics.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport on Tuesday set a March 12 date to hear the World Anti-Doping Agency’s appeal against Hardy. She served a one-year ban after testing positive for the anabolic agent clenbuterol before the Beijing Games.

WADA wants Hardy banned for two years and ruled ineligible for London under International Olympic Committee doping rules.

A U.S. tribunal set a shorter ban and asked for Hardy’s Olympic status to be preserved because it believed a contaminated supplement caused the positive test.

Hardy has set several breaststroke world records since her ban expired last July.