A hearing into the doping case of gold medal-winning Sri Lankan boxer Manju Wanniarachchi has been postponed until May, the Commonwealth Games Federation said Tuesday.
Wanniarachchi, who won gold in the 56-kilogram division at the Commonwealth Games last October, was to face the GFC's court on Jan. 17 at Kingston, Jamaica after returning a positive doping test at New Delhi.
The federation said an illness prevented Wanniarachchi's lawyer from attending court in Jamaica and the hearing will now convene at Kuala Lumpur in May.
CGF President Michael Fennell said the decision to delay the hearing had not been taken lightly.
''However, under the rules of the CGF's Anti-Doping Standard and the WADA (World Anti-Doping Agency) code, all athletes are entitled to legal representation at their hearing and consequently the late application for a postponement was agreed,'' Fennell said in a statement.
''While the delay is regrettable, it is unavoidable given the circumstances.''
Wanniarachchi was among a handful of doping cases at the New Delhi Games, including Nigerian sprinters Osayomi Oludamola and Samuel Okon who tested positive for methylhexaneamine. Oludamola was stripped of her gold in the women's 100 meters and Okon, who was sixth in the final of the men's 110-meter hurdles, was also disqualified.
