ITIA CEO reiterates ‘rules were respected’ during Jannik Sinner and Iga Swiatek’s doping cases
Iga Swiatek and Jannik Sinner were contaminated by banned drugs trimetazidine and clostebol, respectively, last year.
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Jannik Sinner, Iga Swiatek (Image via ATP/X)
Iga Swiatek and Jannik Sinner failing drug tests and them not getting harsh punishments sparked controversy. Critics were convinced that these two players were given preferential treatment because of their high-profile status.
The CEO of the International Anti-Doping Agency (ITIA) have time and again declared that rules were followed throughout the investigation of the doping cases. But the critics were not satisfied with the explanation, as they felt several questions were left to be answered.
One of them was why the ITIA didn’t make the announcement when Sinner or Swiatek failed the drug test. The ITIA announced the same in August last year in Sinner’s case after the Italian tested positive for clostebol in March of the same year.
Swiatek failing the drug test was announced in November, when in fact she tested positive for trimetazidine in August. The five-time Grand Slam champion failed the test because of consuming a contaminated melatonin medication. ITIA CEO Karen Moorhouse reiterated that the anti-doping body didn’t announce their positive tests because both players were successful in filing an appeal within the 10-day period.
It was mistakenly believed that we were announcing positive tests, when in fact we were announcing provisional suspensions. In both the case of Sinner – and in that of Swiatek – the rules were respected. The players filed an appeal against the provisional suspension within the 10-day period provided for by our regulations and, since the appeal was successful, the provisional suspensions were not made public.
Karen Moorhouse told Ubitennis
Sinner was provisionally suspended twice while the Pole faced a three-week provisional suspension, which was a part of her one-month ban. The suspensions did affect her rankings as she lost her No.1 spot to Aryna Sabalenka.
ITIA CEO reveals why no action was taken against Jannik Sinner’s team members
Karen Moorhouse also explained why Jannik Sinner‘s team members didn’t have to deal with any punishment. Sinner’s ex-physio Giacomo Naldi was using a spray bought from Italy by Sinner’s trainer Umberto Ferrara.
The spray contained clostebol and during a physiotherapy session, the banned anabolic steroid entered Sinner’s body and contaminated him. Sinner later parted ways with both of them.
Our rules are based on the World Anti-Doping Code, which lists a number of violations that can be committed by a player’s entourage: doctor, coach, agent… But most of the violations in question involve an intent to dope. In the Sinner case, according to the legal advice we received, there was no justification for prosecuting any member of his entourage, because the prerequisite, namely the intent to take doping, was missing.
Karen Moorhouse told Ubitennis
Sinner, despite the doping controversy, lifted two Grand Slam titles (the 2024 US Open and this year’s Australian Open) and the 2024 ATP Finals trophy. The three-time Grand Slam champion kick-started his season at the Australian Open and beat Alexander Zverev to win the title.
Iga Swiatek participated at Indian Wells, while Jannik Sinner is serving doping ban
ITIA’s no-fault or negligence verdict was challenged by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) last year and they demanded that Jannik Sinner should be given a lengthy ban of one to two years. The WADA, however, approached Sinner and reached a settlement agreement.
They handed Sinner a three-month ban which will be lifted on May 4, which means, the 23-year-old could make his comeback at the Italian Open which starts just a few days later. Sinner has so far played just the Australian Open this year as he skipped the Rotterdam Open to prioritize rest.
The WADA didn’t interfere in Iga Swiatek‘s case. After her one-month ban, the World No.2 returned to play and is currently participating at the Indian Wells Open to defend her title. The 23-year-old reached the semifinals after beating Karolina Muchova in straight sets and will face Mirra Andreeva.
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