Madeleine Egle from Hall in Tirol.

Due to doping tests: World champion misses Olympics

Artificial track luger Madeleine Egle has been banned for 20 months for missing three doping tests and will miss the Olympic Games in Cortina in February 2026.

August 25, 2025

From: apa/dl

The association announced this on Monday. The North Tyrolean had inaccurate information in the ADAMS reporting system, which is mandatory for all top athletes, and was therefore not found during three checks in 2023. Egle's ban is retroactive from March 1, 2025, to fall 2026.

The Austrian Federation had been aware of the case since the end of 2023, and the proceedings have dragged on ever since. Because the ban only came into effect on March 1 of this year, Egle is allowed to keep all her results and medals in the World Cup, as well as at World and European Championships. This includes her 2024 individual European Championship title. "I never expected such a harsh punishment. My career feels like it's in ruins. I don't know what to do next," Egle explained in the association's press release. Whether she will continue her career is currently unclear.

Three missed tests lead to suspension

A missed test is the failure of an athlete in the top segment of the national testing pool to be available for doping control at the location and time within the 60-minute window specified for that day. According to the World Anti-Doping Code (WADC), the period of ineligibility is two years, subject to reduction to at least one year, depending on the athlete's degree of negligence.

Madeleine Egle misses the Olympics in Cortina. © APA/dpa / Martin Schutt

If there is a serious suspicion that the athlete has attempted to evade testing due to frequent short-term changes of location or other behavior, a reduction is not possible.