Italian biathlete returns to Olympic squad after blaming doping positive on Nutella | Winter Olympics 2026

The Italian biathlete Rebecca Passler rejoined her team at the Winter Olympics on Monday after a successful appeal against a suspension handed out before the Milano Cortina Games for an alleged doping violation.

Passler began training in the bright sunshine at the Antholz-Anterselva Biathlon Arena on Monday afternoon, firing off shots in bunches of five on the range as her coaches watched intently.

The women’s relay is set to take place on Wednesday and, having missed the earlier competitions, it is the only race that Passler is eligible to take part in. The Italy team captain, Klaus Hoellrigl, said on Friday that he was considering including her in the foursome for the event.

On Friday, the national anti-doping organisation of Italy (Nado Italia) upheld Passler’s appeal against a provisional suspension that followed a positive test for the banned substance letrozole on 26 January.

In her appeal, the 24-year-old said she lived with her mother who was taking letrozole as part of her treatment for breast cancer and that the contamination likely came from a spoon which she used to eat some Nutella hazelnut spread for breakfast the day before the test.

The World Anti-Doping Agency noted that the decision to clear Passler was only provisional, with a tribunal to be established by Nado Italia to hear the full case at a later date.