A Russian court upholds a nine-year prison sentence for American basketball player Brittney Griner after she was convicted of drug smuggling in August.

American basketball player Brittney Griner has seen an appeal over her nine-year jail term for drug charges rejected by a Russian court.

The 32-year-old was detained in February after cannabis oil was found in her luggage, as she had travelled to Russia to play during the off-season in the WNBA.

Griner was convicted of smuggling and possessing narcotics in August, having admitted guilt one month prior, and she was sentenced to nine years in prison.

An appeal over her punishment has been unsuccessful, and she will now serve her sentence in a penal colony after apologising for an "honest mistake" via video link.

Griner was arrested one week prior to Russia launching their invasion of Ukraine, and the 32-year-old's case has since served as a major talking point in diplomatic relations between Russia and the USA.

During her basketball career, Griner became Olympic champion with the United States in 2016 and 2020, as well as winning World Cup gold in 2014 and 2018.

The 6ft 9in American represented Phoenix Mercury and UMMC Ekaterinburg at the time of her arrest and was named an honorary WNBA All-Star this year - her eighth award in the category. body check tags ::

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