Why was information about Jannik Sinner’s positive doping test not made public? ITIA explains

ITIA explains why information about Jannik Sinner's positive doping test was not made public until recently.

Why was information about Jannik Sinner’s positive doping test not made public? ITIA explains

Jannik SInner (via Imago)

Jannik Sinner made headlines on Tuesday (August 20) not for his Cincinnati Open title or US Open preparations but for anti-doping rule violations. The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) announced that Sinner had tested positive for a banned substance twice in March this year, at the time he was competing at the Indian Wells Open.

However, the Italian ace was cleared of any wrongdoing as the governing body reckoned that Sinner bore no fault or negligence for the presence of the banned substance, clostebol – a steroid that can be used to build muscle mass.

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Despite that, critics wondered why the information about Jannik Sinner failing two doping tests was not made public immediately. While the ITIA has not released a statement to explain that, a journalist shared the answer they received via email from the governing body for the same question.

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The ITIA informed the journalist that the news of a player failing a doping test is not made public right away, in all instances.

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ITIA explains when it announces cases of anti-doping violations

The ITIA said that the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) decides the timeline for a case to be made public. The governing body said that when any player has a finding, there is a very carefully managed process to confirm the finding and investigate, after which the next steps are agreed upon.

Jannik Sinner
Jannik Sinner (via X)

ITIA said that once a case is concluded, it goes on to announce the verdict as happened in Jannik Sinner’s case. It also revealed that as the Italian had successfully appealed against the provisional suspension on both occasions, the case remained anonymous. 

On both occasions he successfully appealed the provisional suspensions to an independent arbitrator. Once an appeal is successful, it remains anonymous. Had the player’s appeal been turned down, it would have been announced.
ITIA said in an email to a journalist

The ITIA also explained in its statement why Sinner was allowed to play in the subsequent tournaments despite failing the anti-doping tests. It said that the player successfully challenged his provisional suspension, which allowed him to continue competing.

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