WADA Says Jannik Sinner’s Ban Settlement Not Uncommon
According to the chief counsel of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), the recent settlement regarding Italian Jannik Sinner’s three-month ban is not an exception to the men’s tennis world number one, but rather a standard procedure employed by the agency in similar situations.
Sinner was cleared of wrongdoing after testing positive for the anabolic agent clostebol, but accepted the ban after WADA was ready to appeal the decision at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), where he risked a suspension of up to two years.
The ban will allow Sinner to return before the French Open in May and although he will miss Masters tournaments, the decision has been criticised by current and former players and described as “too convenient”.
However, Ross Wenzel, the chief counsel of WADA Tennis, said that although Sinner did no wrong, it was the anti-doping body’s duty to appeal the decision as athletes bear responsibility for their negligence by members of their support team.
“We appealed it because of the responsibility that athletes have under our rules, under the code for their entourage. We struck a case resolution agreement, which WADA has entered into 70-odd of these in the last four years,” Wenzel said in an interview.
“This is not something that is unique to the case of Mr Sinner. We’ve done it with athletes at all levels. The facts of this case are there for everyone to see and to read. We feel that we’ve been transparent in the way that we’ve handled it.”
“We feel that given the unique facts of this case, a three-month period of ineligibility is the right one and a fair one,” he added.
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