ITIA CEO Clarifies Misconceptions in Sinner and Swiatek Doping Cases
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Jannik Sinner and Iga Swiatek both tested positive for a banned substance, and both faced suspension, but the processes were questioned by many fans worldwide.
Sinner was the first of these two players to test positive for a banned substance. The Italian player had a positive test at the 2024 Indian Wells Open. He was subsequently cleared of any wrongdoing by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA), but that was only until the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) appealed the case.
Eventually, Sinner agreed to have a three-month suspension after reaching an agreement with WADA. The ATP World No. 1 player is currently out of action, and he should return at the Italian Open in Rome.
Swiatek, on the other hand, received a one-month ban from the ITIA. She was forced to miss tournaments in Asia and then briefly returned for the WTA Finals and the Billie Jean King Cup Finals before serving the last part of the suspension.
For the vast majority of both of these cases, tennis fans were not aware that either of these two players had a positive test. Swiatek stated that she didn't participate in tournaments because of different reasons, while in reality, she was provisionally suspended.
ITIA, in particular, has been called out on their practices, but the agency's CEO, Karen Moorhouse, stands by all of the processes, as she recently told AFP, as per UbiTennis.
Moorhouse explained that most of the fans incorrectly believed that the ITIA was supposed to announce positive tests while their task was to announce the provisional suspensions. Since both Sinner and Swiatek appealed their cases and both were successful, the cases were not made public.
"It was mistakenly believed that we were announcing positive tests, when, in reality, 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."
Moorhouse also made a comparison to different sports. She also explained that while there is a ten-day rule for the appeal present in tennis, she could see it changed in the future.
"Some sports, such as athletics, decide to immediately announce provisional suspensions. Others, especially team sports, never announce them. Tennis, for now, has given itself the ten-day rule, we'll see, in the future this rule could also change."
The ITIA CEO was also asked why there wasn't any action taken against Giacomo Naldi and Umberto Ferrara, who were part of Sinner's team and had direct involvement in him being contaminated. Moorhouse explained that they avoided punishment because none of their actions were intentional.
"There was no justification for prosecuting any member of his entourage, because the assumption, namely the intentionality of taking doping substances, was missing."
