New Delhi: The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has confirmed its appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) against the decision of an independent tribunal in August, which exonerated World No.1 Jannik Sinner from any misconduct following his failed drug tests.
The tribunal had cleared the Italian of any wrongdoing or negligence, after which he proceeded to win the US Open.
WADA announced on their website that they filed an appeal with CAS on September 26, asserting that the tribunal’s decision was incorrect according to the relevant rules. The agency also expressed their desire for Sinner to receive a ban of one or two years.
“WADA confirms that on Thursday, 26 September, it lodged an appeal with the CAS in the case of Italian tennis player Jannik Sinner, who was found by an independent tribunal of the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) to be without fault or negligence after testing positive twice for clostebol, a banned substance, in March 2024.”
“WADA believes that the ‘no fault or negligence’ ruling was incorrect under the rules in place. WADA is seeking a suspension period of one to two years. WADA does not seek to disqualify any results, except for those already annulled by the initial tribunal. WADA will not comment further as the matter is now before CAS,” the statement concluded.
Sinner was cleared of any wrongdoing after a positive test for Clostebol, a prohibited substance, in March. The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) carried out an investigation that found the Italian player had been inadvertently contaminated by his physiotherapist during treatment.
The contamination happened when Sinner’s fitness trainer gave the physiotherapist a product to treat a cut on his finger. The physiotherapist, not knowing the product contained Clostebol, applied it to Sinner without gloves, unintentionally transferring the substance to the player. Neither the physiotherapist nor Sinner knew about the presence of Clostebol in the product.
To provide context, Clostebol is an anabolic androgenic steroid (AAS) that is a derivative of testosterone. Sinner responded by reaffirming his commitment to the sport’s rigorous anti-doping regulations, which have contributed to his considerable success over the previous year.
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