San Giljan player Matthew Zammit was suspended for two years by the swimming international federation FINA after testing positive to an illicit substance during the European B waterpolo championships held last May.

Zammit, who was on the Malta national team taking part in the event, had been suspended temporarily by the Aquatic Sports Association and his club after it had been revealed that, on 1 May, he tested positive to the substance Stanolozol (Class S.1 anabolic agent) following a doping control test.

In a FINA doping panel hearing in Lausanne on 20 August, Zammit was found to have “committed fault and negligence by taking allegedly unknown pills from personal trainer,” a FINA statement posted on the federation’s website on 25 August said.

In the light of the “strict liability of the

athlete, the FINA doping panel has decided that (Zammit) shall be ineligible for two years after the violation of the FINA rules DC 2.1 starting from the date of the provisional suspension, that is 22 June, 2010”.

Zammit will be missing the rest of this season, the whole of next season and the winter league of 2012. Unless the suspension is reduced, he will be eligible to play again in the summer league of that year.

All costs of this case shall be borne by the Aquatic Sports Association of Malta in accordance with DC 12.2, FINA said.

On 15 August, The Malta Independent on Sunday had quoted ASA president Austin Sammut saying that the association took doping matters seriously, but it was finding financial difficulties to conduct tests because of the expenses involved.

Doping tests that were supposed to have been carried out following the Sliema-Neptunes game of 7 August were in fact cancelled.