“Not a case of intentional doping,” WADA official comes out in defense of Jannik Sinner’s suspension agreement following backlash
Jannik Sinner's suspension settlement with WADA has divided the tennis world, with several criticizing the duration of the ban.
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Jannik Sinner (via Instagram)
The tennis world was left shocked on Saturday (February 15) after the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) announced that it had reached a three-month suspension settlement with Jannik Sinner over his doping case. Since then, there have been divided views about the conclusion and now WADA general counsel Ross Wenzel has come out in defense of the anti-doping body verdict.
Sinner was cleared of his two positive drug tests by an independent panel set up by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) in August last year. That led to a very huge controversy which led to WADA intervention and subsequent appeal of the case to the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS).
The anti-doping body was seeking that CAS give Sinner at least one or two years (suspension) despite the Italian defending the banned substance clostebol inadvertently entering his system. Surprisingly, on February 15 a deal was reached with Sinner for him to be suspended for only three months.
The agreement has since been questioned, with some journalists claiming the timing and length of the ban was just to help Sinner. However, WADA general counsel Ross Wenzel admitted that there was no favoritism in the deal.
The scientific feedback that we received was that this could not be a case of intentional doping, including micro-dosing. Wada has received messages from those that consider that the sanction was too high and, in some respects, if you have some saying this is unfair on the athlete, and others saying it’s not enough, maybe it’s an indication that although it’s not going to be popular with everyone, maybe it’s an indication that it was in the right place.
Ross Wenzel said via BBC
Several players such as, Nick Kyrgios and Tara Moore, have criticized WADA for treating Sinner better than others. Also, the doping saga has divided the tennis world, with many condemning why there was a settlement in the first place. However, Wenzel also clarified that a settlement was introduced into case resolution in 2021.
WADA general counsel says the body was blind to calendar during their agreement deal with Jannik Sinner
Jannik Sinner‘s suspension began on February 9 and will end on May 4. He will be eligible to play at the Italian Open ahead of the French Open. However, the timing of the ban has been questioned by several plays and media personnel. They have claimed that the suspension was put in place to make sure Sinner played in the clay-court Grand Slam.
WADA official Ross Wenzel has debunked those claims and questions. He revealed during the aforementioned interview that the ban was blind to the calendar and was executed as swiftly as possible by all parties.
Once you’ve reached an agreement, what you can’t do is then say, ‘Oh, but we’re going to have this apply from two months in the future for a period of three months. It must come into effect quickly.’ Of course, once the deal is done, it’s important that it is executed and that it is made public for reasons of transparency.
Ross Wenzel added
Wenzel added that during the period of discussing the settlement with Sinner, the body didn’t do it for fear of what the public or politicians would say. He resolutely claimed that the deal was done with clear objectivity.
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Victor Okechukwu
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