Skiing: Baxter hit with three-month ban

Britain's Alain Baxter, who was stripped of the Olympic bronze slalom medal he won earlier this year at the Salt Lake City Games after testing positive for a banned substance, was yesterday banned from competition for three months.

The International Ski Federation – the sport's world governing body – announced the punishment at its annual congress in Slovenia despite ruling that he had not intentionally sought to enhance his performance. The punishment will rule Baxter out of competition until 15 December, meaning he will miss the opening World Cup event of the season.

Baxter has always maintained that the prohibited methamphetamine found in his urine sample had come from an American version of a Vicks nasal spray that he used to treat a cold. He had regularly used a British version of the same medication, which does not contain the banned substance, without problems in the past.

The Scot was suspended from competitive action as soon as his drug test results were made public and was stripped of his gold medal by the International Olympic Association soon afterwards. In such cases, the IOC always enforces its "strict liability" principle that an athlete is responsible for whatever is found in his or her body, however they say it got there.

The FIS had greater scope for leniency and could have handed Baxter any punishment between three months and two years. Fiona McNeilly, of the British Ski and Snowboard Federation, said Baxter was disappointed he would miss the first World Cup event, in the United States, but the result had not been unexpected.

Baxter could yet get his medal back, however, depending on the outcome of an appeal. He has submitted evidence to the Lausanne-based Court of Arbitration for Sport, an independent body that mediates in contentious sporting cases. A hearing is likely in July. If he is judged innocent there, the IOC has said, his medal will be returned and the FIS would also probably lift yesterday's ban.