German Stefan Schumacher has decided to drop the idea of appealing his doping ban that was upheld by the Court of Arbitration in Sport (CAS). Earlier this year he said he was intending to fight on by taking a case in the Swiss civil court system.
“I am a fighter,” he said, according to Dienst in January. “It is 99% sure that I will take a case to federal court.”
His sanction will end on the 28th of August this year.
"We have abstained from the opportunity [to appeal]. Stefan will now only look forward. We do not want more legal back and forth," said his lawyer Michael Lehner to German news agency dpa.
Schumacher tested positive for CERA, the third generation EPO, in the 2008 Tour de France during retroactive testing of his samples. He also tested positive for the substance later that year at the Beijing Olympics.
Now that the one percent chance of waiting out his suspension is a reality, the German will once again try to enter a sport that has gravitated toward a strong anti-doping attitude. Schumacher now enters what will likely be the biggest challenge of his career to date - finding a new team.
Lehner is optimistic about the German's chances for next year adding, "He trains hard and will find a team to 2011."
Even if Schumacher does find a new team, he is likely to meet resistance from organizers of some of the sport's biggest events, who have been surgically shutting out doping offenders in recent years.