KUALA LUMPUR: The Badminton World Federation has announced a backdated seven-month doping ban for Yu Xiaohan on the eve of the Chinese shuttler’s eligibility to return to competition. The BWF released a statement saying Yu, disqualified and had her silver medal in the doubles stripped after failing a doping test, “did not take the pill to cheat or to gain a performance-enhancing advantage.” Yu is free to return to competition. Yu’s test showed traces of Sibutramine, a weight-loss supplement that is prohibited in competition. She attended a doping hearing on January 30 and said the substance must have been consumed inadvertently. BWF said the sanction of seven months was “correct and fair.”