Jannik Sinner tested positive recently for low levels of a metabolite of clostebol, a banned anabolic steroid, at the Indian Wells hard-court event in March and tested positive for the drug again eight days later.
As per ITIA rules, Sinner was allowed to appeal for his suspension following the events in March. In the appeal, Sinner claimed his innocence, labeling the incident as ‘purely accidental’. The 23-year-old’s appeal was successful as ITIA revoked his provisional suspensions. Later the Sport Resolutions (which oversee the doping cases) stated “no fault or negligence” for two of Sinner’s cases, further proving his innocence.
However, the story has now taken another twist as the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has filed an appeal with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) challenging an independent tribunal’s August decision to clear world No. 1 Jannik Sinner of any wrongdoing.WADA stated that it submitted an appeal to the Switzerland-based CAS on Thursday.
“It is WADA’s view that the finding of ‘no fault or negligence’ was not correct under the applicable rules,” WADA said in a statement. “WADA is seeking a period of ineligibility of between one and two years. WADA is not seeking a disqualification of any results, save that which has already been imposed by the tribunal of first instance.”
🚨 Jannik Sinner 🦊: WADA Appeals “No Fault” Ruling! 🚨
The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has confirmed it has appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) regarding Italian tennis star Jannik Sinner. This follows a decision by an independent tribunal of the… pic.twitter.com/EzBcedqlID
— TennisTime (@Tennistimechat) September 28, 2024
WADA implied that the rules were not properly applied, even though the prosecutor for tennis’s integrity body, who accepted Sinner’s explanation, was a lawyer frequently handling high-profile cases for the global agency, including the successful appeal against Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva.
Sinner will start his Australian Open defense in January and the case is unlikely to be resolved by then. Currently, Sinner is participating in the China Open and will face Jiri Lehecka in the quarter-final. Sinner also won the US Open recently beating home favorite Taylor Fritz in the final.
In 2016, Maria Sharapova tested positive for the newly banned heart medication meldonium. In June of that year, she received a two-year suspension from the International Tennis Federation. The Russian tennis star appealed to CAS, attending a hearing in New York before three judges in September. Four weeks later, the verdict reduced her ban to 15 months.
Sharapova’s case with CAS was resolved in just four months, significantly faster than most doping cases, which often take around a year. Delays usually occur due to the complexities of selecting a judging panel, scheduling a hearing, and the exchange of documents and expert witness testimony between parties.
Read More: Jannik Sinner Tests Positive For Banned Substance; Avoids Ban
Mohd Faisal Hakak is a sports author from Kashmir. He likes to keep tabs on the sporting world with a keen interest in football, motorsports, NBA, and other marquee sports. He is a science graduate from Islamia College Srinagar.
