Austrian skier Hans Knauss has been banned for 18 months after testing positive for a banned anabolic steroid.
The International Ski Federation gave him a provisional ban in January after a positive B test for nandrolone.
The 33-year-old, one of Austria's most experienced and popular racers, had faced a potential two-year suspension.
The FIS said in a statement it believed Knauss had not acted intentionally but was negligent in taking unrecommended supplements which were contaminated.
Knauss's lawyer Christian Flick said he would appeal the decision with hopes of having the ban cut to 12 months.
The FIS set the start of the ban from 27 November, 2004, when Knauss first returned a positive A test after a race in Lake Louise, Canada.
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