Vanessa-Mae awarded defamation damages over fixed race claims

Violinist Vanessa-Mae has been awarded damages for defamation from the International Ski Federation (FIS), the BBC reports.

She was banned after the FIS claimed she qualified for the 2014 Winter Olympics at fixed races, but the Court of Arbitration for Sport cleared her.

FIS apologised and has made “an appropriate” payment that the musician intends to donate to charity.

Vanessa-Mae, 37, was 67th and last in the giant slalom in Sochi competing for her father’s native Thailand.

Reacting to the news of her damages, she told BBC Sport: “The fact that the International Ski Federation has apologised to me says it all.”

British citizen Vanessa-Mae insists she will not allow the disruption to derail her bid to continue skiing and qualify for the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pheongchang, South Korea.