RIO DE JANEIRO, Feb. 7 (Xinhua) -- The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has banned Brazil's former South American 10,000-meter track champion Simone Alves da Silva for five years for doping.

Da Silva was found guilty by a CAS judging panel for testing positive to the blood-boosting substance EPO during an event in Sao Paulo in 2011, Brazil's athletics confederation CBAT said on Wednesday.

The 28-year-old had been absolved by Brazil's superior sports justice tribunal in February 2012 but was prohibited from competing by the International Athletics Association Federation (IAAF) until the CAS hearing.

"We lament to inform that we have been made aware of the CAS decision to suspend Simone Alves Da Silva for five years relating to a urine sample collected in August 2011," CBAT said in a statement.

The ban has been backdated to October 2011 meaning Da Silva is free to return to competition in October 2016, two months after the Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games.

Da Silva won the 2011 South American title over 10,000m in Buenos Aires and broke South American records for the 5000m and 10,000m events the same year.

EPO, or Erythropoietin, increases oxygen flow to the body's muscles by accelerating red blood cell production.

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