Essendon doping verdict to be heard in Jan

The Court of Arbitration for Sport says it will deliver in mid-January its verdict on the Essendon doping case that has rocked Australian sport.

CAS arbitrated a hearing in Sydney from November 16-20, and said on Tuesday it will notify all parties of its decision from January 11.

The case involves 34 current and former Essendon players, who took a banned peptide in 2012 at the suggestion of a sports scientist.

The Australian Football League decided in March there was no anti-doping violation, but the World Anti-Doping Agency appealed to CAS, seeking a violation and sanction.