RIO DE JANEIRO — Brazilian swimmer Joao Gomes Jr. has been banned for six months for a “doping rule violation” by swimming's world governing body FINA. Gomes tested positive for a banned diuretic at the short-course world championships in December in Doha, Qatar. Diuretics can be used as masking agents to hide the presence of other drugs. FINA said Gomes' results were “annulled,” which includes results at the world championships. The ban, which runs through June 3, 2015, could be an embarrassment to Brazil which will hold the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics and is an emerging power in swimming. — AP
