The violinist Vanessa Mae is expected to return to competitive skiing in March after it was ruled that she would not be disqualified from the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics, meaning she will be allowed to call herself an Olympian.
Mae, 37, finished last in 67th place in the giant slalom event in Sochi, representing Thailand, but was initially banned for four years after an International Ski Federation panel ruled that results in the hastily arranged qualifying races, in January 2014 in Slovenia, were manipulated.
Mae was successful in her appeal to the court of arbitration for sport last year however, and the International Olympic Committee has now decided not to annul her result. She is now set to attempt to qualify for the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang.
“I was so relieved to have completed both runs at the Winter Olympics, even if it was only to claim last place,” Mae was quoted as saying by the BBC. “I’m over the moon that I’m still an Olympian – it’s fantastic news and such a positive start to 2016!”
