Court of Arbitration for Sport clears Harris for return to Team Einarson By: Joshua Frey-Sam Posted: 5:39 PM CST Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025

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Briane Harris can curl again.

On Tuesday, nearly a year after being banned from competing, training or communicating with her coaches and teammates, the Manitoba curler was cleared to return to the pebbled ice after the Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled that she bears no fault or negligence for being exposed to a banned substance.

“We can confirm that Briane Harris is immediately eligible to participate in all Curling Canada events,” Curling Canada wrote in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter. “We are pleased to welcome her back to competition and wish her the best in her future curling endeavours.”

Harris, who throws lead for Kerri Einarson’s Gimli-based team, tested positive for trace amounts of ligandrol on the eve of the 2024 Scotties Tournament of Hearts last February. At the time, she said that she had unknowingly been exposed to the substance through bodily contact.

The court’s ruling revealed she was exposed to the drug through intimate contact and the exchange of bodily fluids with her husband, who was consuming the ‘Crossfit Stack,’ which contains ligandrol.

Ligandrol, also called LGD-4033 or Anabolicum, has been shown to increase overall strength and lean body mass while decreasing body fat. It is banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency.

Harris claimed she was unaware her husband was taking the substance.

In the end, Harris, who was facing a suspension of up to four years, won her appeal.

“I cannot put into words how happy and relieved I am feeling right now,” Harris said in an interview with CBC Sports. “I have been shaking all morning since receiving the news that I thought would never come. I am exonerated and it feels so incredibly amazing.

“I am so excited to play the sport I love again, and I can’t wait to do so.”

Harris is expected to rejoin Team Einarson once it returns from the Grand Slam of Curling’s WFG Masters event in Guelph, Ont., this week. Alternate Krysten Karwacki has played lead in her absence.

Einarson, who rolled to a 10-1 win over Team Kayla Skrlik Tuesday afternoon at the WFG Masters said the news was a relief.

“We’re super happy for her. I know this has been challenging for her.”–Kerri Einarson

“It’s such great news for Briane, I’m going to get emotional,” Einarson said, fighting back tears. “But we’re super happy for her. I know this has been challenging for her.”

The team expressed its relief that Harris’s ordeal has ended in a news release.

“After what had to have been unimaginable stress on Briane and her family we’re so happy and relieved to see Briane’s case resolved today. It has been a difficult 11 months for all of us not knowing what was going to happen so we’re thankful that we can all move forward with some clarity,” Team Einarson said.

“This week, we are treating the WFG Masters Grand Slam event in Guelph as a team dress rehearsal for the Scotties Tournament of Hearts with the lineup we announced earlier this month. Once this event is done and after we assess where we’re at, we will sit down as a team for further discussions.”

Harris’s long-awaited ruling certainly provided a sigh of relief for Einarson, who has struggled to ice a consistent lineup all season.

While Harris served a ban, second Shannon Birchard dealt with a knee injury that popped up during a training event in mid-August. The ailment kept Birchard on the shelf for the first half of the season and has now ended her campaign after she aggravated it during her season debut at a tour event in Swift Current, Sask., last month.

With Birchard out, the team flipped through four different replacement players — Laura Walker, Dawn McEwen, Joanne Courtney and Brittany Tran — before reaching out to fellow Manitoban Karlee Burgess, who agreed to join Einarson, third Val Sweeting and Karwacki for the remainder of the season.

Burgess, who was the third for Chelsea Carey’s squad, left a struggling team that lost its pre-qualified berths at the women’s national championship and Canadian Curling Trials as a result of her move.

Now the 26-year-old Winnipegger is a part of a rink that is seeking a fifth Scotties title in six years.

Despite the constantly juggling lineup, Einarson has managed a respectable season to this point, with two event victories and a 24-14 record. It is one of three squads that has pre-qualified for the Scotties Tournament of Hearts, which goes in Thunder Bay, Ont., from Feb. 14-23.

Winnipeg’s Team Kaitlyn Lawes and Team Rachel Homan of Ontario, which will represent Team Canada, are the others.

— with Canadian Press files

joshua.frey-sam@freepress.mb.ca

X: @jfreysam