Violinist Vanessa-Mae Vanakorn Settles Defamation Suit Against World Ski Body

Vanessa Mae holds the Olympic torch April 6, 2008, at the Southbank Centre in London, England. Photo: Yemisi Blake

OBERHOFEN, Switzerland — The International Ski Federation has settled a defamation claim by pop violinist Vanessa-Mae, who it wrongly alleged had qualified for the Sochi Olympics at fixed races.

FIS said it had apologized and made an "appropriate payment" to the Vanessa-Mae, which she intended to pay to a charity.

The musician and her entourage "did not in any way fix, contrive or improperly influence the result, progress, conduct or any other aspect" of qualifying races in Slovenia, FIS says.

Vanessa-Mae, who competed as Vanessa Vanakorn, was born in Singapore to Thai and Chinese parents. She won an appeal at the Court of Arbitration for Sport last June overturning a four-year ban placed in 2014 by the federation for allegedly manipulating trial results to qualify for the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi.

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The court said qualifying races arranged at short notice in January 2014 were allowed by weak FIS rules.

Vanessa-Mae, then 35, competed in Sochi for her father's native Thailand and finished last in the giant slalom.

Story: Associated Press