Sources: Team Einarson lead Briane Harris files complaint against CCES with WADA

Curler Briane Harris, recently reinstated after sitting out nearly a year due to a provisional suspension, has filed a complaint against the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport with the World Anti-Doping Agency, two sources with knowledge of the situation said. Team Canada lead Harris, left, and third Val Sweeting sweep while playing Prince Edward Island at the Scotties Tournament of Hearts, in Kamloops, B.C., on Monday, February 20, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

Curler Briane Harris, recently reinstated after sitting out nearly a year due to a provisional suspension, has filed a complaint against the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport with the World Anti-Doping Agency, two sources with knowledge of the situation said.

The complaint was sent to the Montreal-based agency on Feb. 7, claiming nonconformity with the WADA Code by the CCES, according to a 10-page document that has been seen by The Canadian Press.

The CCES is an independent organization responsible for administering Canada's anti-doping program. The sources spoke on the condition of anonymity because the complaint has not been made public.

A four-time national champion as lead with Team Kerri Einarson, Harris had her ban lifted by the Court of Arbitration for Sport last January after it found she bore no fault or negligence for an anti-doping rule violation in January 2024.

Harris tested positive for trace amounts of the substance Ligandrol, which is banned by WADA for its anabolic, muscle-building effects. The Winnipeg native claimed she was unknowingly exposed to it through bodily contact.

The complaint to WADA was a result of developments in the days after Harris received out-of-competition test results on the eve of the 2024 Scotties Tournament of Hearts, the document said.

Her Toronto-area lawyers, Emir Crowne and Amanda Fowler, informed the CCES and World Curling on Feb. 19, 2024 of what they claimed was an alarming confidentiality breach, the document said, stemming from posts made two days earlier on the social media website Reddit.

In a curling thread on the online forum, a user claimed to know details of the Harris case and posted them citing "a friend that works for the CCES" as the source of the information, according to the complaint.

The posts, which Harris's lawyers claimed were seemingly accurate and contemporaneous, were deleted three days after they went online, the complaint said.

Email exchanges between the curler's legal representation and CCES chief executive officer Jeremy Luke were included in the complaint along with the Reddit thread and screenshots of deleted posts.

The Ottawa-based CCES, citing results of an internal investigation, said it did not believe anyone from the centre had shared the information publicly, according to the complaint.

Messages left with the CCES were not immediately returned.

Harris has asked that the matter be investigated thoroughly and independently, the complaint said, and that she be apprised of the findings of any investigation. Her lawyers claimed that the CCES investigating and exonerating itself is why WADA oversees its signatories, the complaint said.

In an email Monday, a WADA spokesperson would only confirm that "after careful and thorough review," the agency will not be submitting an appeal in the Harris anti-doping case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

When asked in a followup message whether there will be an investigation into the Harris complaint, the spokesperson declined comment.

The World Anti-Doping Code, first published in 2003, is the core document that harmonizes anti-doping policies, rules and regulations within sport organizations and among public authorities around the world, the agency's website said.

It's unclear when the 32-year-old Harris, who declined an interview request, might return to competitive play.

Her team, based in Gimli, Man., is ranked second in Canada behind national champion Rachel Homan of Ottawa. The rink has used a number of substitute players with Harris unavailable and second Shannon Birchard out with a long-term knee issue.

Krysten Karwacki, normally an alternate, has filled in at lead. Karlee Burgess was added to the team in mid-season as an injury replacement for Birchard.

Einarson's team has already secured a berth at the Montana's Canadian Curling Trials in November. That event will determine the country's four-player team representatives at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Olympics in Italy.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 3, 2025.

Gregory Strong, The Canadian Press