Swiatek’s month-long disqualification for a positive doping test raised questions – Teller Report Teller Report in Russian

A second high-profile doping scandal rocked tennis this year. Following Jannik Sinner, former world number one Iga Swiatek tested positive. This was reported by the press service of the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA).

The polka’s out-of-competition test, taken on August 12 before the WTA 1000 tournament in Cincinnati, showed traces of trimetazidine, the same substance that got Kamila Valieva banned for four years. The positive case became known only a month later, and a temporary suspension was imposed on the athlete on September 12. It was in connection with this, and not with a change in the coaching staff, as was publicly announced, that Swiatek missed the Asian series of tournaments – Seoul, Beijing and Wuhan.

Ten days later, Iga filed an appeal demanding that she be allowed to compete, and even before the case was considered by an independent tribunal, she provided an explanation of what happened. According to Swiatek, the banned substance entered her body through contaminated medicine. The tennis player took melatonin to help her fall asleep better when changing time zones.

Interestingly, on the form that athletes fill out when undergoing doping control, Iga did not list this drug, although she listed 14 others. She explained this by saying that she had slept only a few hours before the officers came to her, and therefore forgot to administer melatonin. She copied the rest of the medications from a certain list that she keeps with her for such cases. The tribunal hearing the case found these arguments quite convincing, as well as other evidence presented by the Polish side.

Thus, two packages of the drug were presented to ITIA – one opened, the other sealed – with receipts from a pharmacy located next to Swiatek’s house. The WADA laboratory in Utah confirmed the presence of trimetazidine in the tablets, and an independent expert from another laboratory confirmed the findings of American colleagues. It is noted that the substance was found both on the surface of some tablets, and inside the container and in the crushed substance. In addition, it became known that trimetazidine-based drugs are produced at the same plant where the product was released.

In addition, an examination of the tennis player’s hair was carried out, which did not show the presence of the substance. According to scientists, when taking the drug regularly, it is detected in such an analysis. According to the tribunal, all these facts served as evidence of the unintentional use of the “ban”, and the tennis player’s guilt was considered insignificant. She was given a one-month disqualification, which, taking into account the temporary suspension, will expire on December 4. All results of Swiatek remain valid. After a positive test, she managed to reach the semifinals in Cincinnati and the quarterfinals at the US Open.

“The only positive drug test of my career, with an incredibly low level of a banned substance that I had never heard of, called into question everything I had worked for my entire life. Both I and my entire team had to deal with extreme stress and anxiety. Now a detailed explanation has been found for everything, and I can continue doing what I love from scratch. I know that I will become stronger than ever,” the tennis player wrote on social media after news of her doping case appeared in the press.

The Women’s Tennis Association expressed its full support for the Polish player “at this difficult time for her.” The organization said it continues to support the principles of clean sport and is committed to providing players with the necessary information resources to make informed decisions and maintain the “highest standards of integrity.”

“Iga has consistently demonstrated a strong commitment to fair play and clean sport, and this unfortunate incident serves as a clear example of the challenges athletes face when choosing medications and supplements,” the WTA said in a statement on its website.

The World Anti-Doping Agency did not rule out filing an appeal against this ITIA decision, as had already happened in the case of Sinner, who escaped punishment for traces of a steroid in the sample. Meanwhile, in the sports community, the news about Swiatek caused a mostly negative reaction. Many tennis players, coaches and journalists left sarcastic comments, considering the month-long punishment for a positive test to be a mockery of all other players.

Nick Kyrgios, in particular, expressed dissatisfaction with the system. The Australian even moved to another team in the World Tennis League, although he had previously been included in the same quartet with the Pole. Denis Shapovalov called such a short period of disqualification unfair.

More shocked and outraged than others was another former world number one, Simona Halep, who also tested positive due to contamination of a licensed dietary supplement. The Romanian was initially punished for four years, but was subsequently able to appeal the decision to CAS, which reduced the suspension to nine months. Now she wondered why the verdicts against her and Swiatek were so different despite the overall similarity of the cases.

“I can’t find a logical explanation for this and I don’t think there is one. It could only be the ill intentions of ITIA, an organization that did everything possible to destroy me, regardless of the evidence. I lost two years of my career and spent many nights without sleep, tormented by thoughts, worries and unanswerable questions. How is it possible that ITIA’s approaches in identical and approximately simultaneous cases were diametrically opposed – and to my detriment?” — Halep wrote on social networks.

The compatriot was supported by Ilie Nastase, who called the situation disgusting. According to the winner of two Grand Slam tournaments, there is a policy of double standards in tennis and if Sinner were Romanian, he would have received several years of disqualification for his violation. Even Yevgeny Kafelnikov did not stand aside.

“Sometimes I wonder: why didn’t I use steroids throughout my career so that I could play 300 games a year rather than 170? The current state of affairs in tennis is a disgrace. Anyone caught using illegal substances should be banned for life. No excuses and no tolerance, no matter who,” the Olympic champion wrote on X’s account.