After Jannik Sinner’s doping case ended with the world, No. 1 accepts a three -month prohibition, Sky Sports News’ Geraint Hughes answers the basic questions that arose from the epic.
How was Jannik Sinner positively tested for a forbidden substance?
The sinner was positively examined twice in March 2024 for a forbidden anabolic steroid called Clostebol derived from testosterone.
According to doping procedures throughout professional sports, Sinner provided a sample of doping auditors. He first did it on March 10 during a tournament on Indian Wells.
Eight days later an out -of -competition test before the Miami Open also returned a positive result. Both of the sinner’s tests amounted to less than a billion grams, essentially trace amounts.
The sinner was informed of the positive results of the tests and was initially temporarily suspended by tennis on April 4. He successfully appealed the suspension a day later and also another brief suspension between April 17 and 20. An infected product was likely to be involved.
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A look at Jannik Sinner’s best and biggest moments from 2024, which saw the Italian finish in front of the world rankings.
What was his explanation and why initially eliminating the ban?
The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) took over the case in an independent court, which he heard in August 2024. Itia handles anti-doping and corruption in tennis.
The sinner successfully claimed that the two positive tests resulted in contamination. The Italian and his legal team said his gym trainer had bought a spray with over-the-counter called Trofodermin widely used in Italy to cure cuts. Trofodermin contains closbol.
Sinner’s Physio Giacomo Naldi cuts his finger in early March 2024 and used the spray for several days to heal the wound. He also continued his work with Sinner, Massage and wrapping him in the sins in bandages. Sinner claimed he was inadvertently infected by Naldi, who had not worn gloves when he worked on him, and also claimed that he had no idea that his trainer had bought trofodermin or that Naldi had used it while working on him.
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Nick Kyrgios criticized doping cases of Jannik Sinner and Iga Swiatek, saying he has handled “scary” and “treatment should be fair for everyone”.
During the independent hearing, three scientific experts stated that Sinner’s explanation was reasonable. ITIA accepted Sinner’s explanation that he had returned two positive tests against doping with the presence of Closbol – the independent court agreed.
Technically the sinner was found to bring “no mistake or negligence” for failed tests. Because of this finding and ruling by an independent court and Italy, the sinner was cleared by any offense and avoids the ban on doping.
What happened then?
It was implemented in September 2024 by WADA, the World Anti -Doping Service – which technically launched its appeal against Sinner’s decision that committed “no mistake or negligence”.
WADA believed that the decision was not correct in accordance with applicable rules. ITIA, which initially investigated and transferred to an independent court investigation, recognized WADA’s right to appeal to the Court for Sport Arbitration (CAS) in accordance with the WADA Code, which WADA states have a final right to appeal to all the decisions against doping. .
Cas had to hear the case – WADA vs. Jannik Sinner/Itf/Itia – at its headquarters on April 16 and 17. He was ready to hear privately with the CAS decision announced after the hearing.
Now, due to the compromise agreement away from CAS, this listening will no longer happen.
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Jannik Sinner said in the past that he was surprised by the fact that WADA had appealed against the decision to clear him first.
Why did this deal come up and who is winning?
The settlement is a surprise, as WADA had made such a point of disagreement with Italy’s decision and also stating that it was his view that the sinner had “wrong and negligence” and that the ban between one and two years was appropriate.
There is an acceptance among many that the sinner did not deliberately use closbol to enhance his performance and that trace elements smaller than one billion of a gram – acceptable by a group of three independent scientific experts – are not a deception.
However, WADA’s appeal was based on the imposition of what they consider as rules for all athletes, athletes, coaches and their margins. Strict responsibility means that it is ultimately the athlete who is responsible for what goes inside or on their bodies and that the substances that are clearly highlighted as prohibited in the prohibited WADA list should not be used by any athlete.
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Breaks of the US Open final between Jannik Sinner and Taylor Fritz.
WADA and Global Sport take the concept of “strict responsibility” seriously, so for WADA last September to say that it is seeking a ban on two years and now installed in three months it is a bit amazing.
So who will be happier? Who can claim to have won? In fact, no one, but maybe the sinner will be the most relieved. It has been banned and this remains in its file forever – though a prohibition from now and May does not significantly affect the Italian program this year nor its efforts to win the Grand Slam events. Having just maintained the title of Australian Open in January, he is eligible to return to the action in front of the next big – the French open – in May.
WADA has publicly stated that it agrees that the settlement of a three -month ban is appropriate, but this is a public attitude. Some in the community against doping will not be happy with this compromise. WADA is intended to be world lead, a powerful organization, but critics will see this as a sign of weakness.
Its effectiveness has already been called into question by the US Doping Agency (USADA) and the US government. WADA is funded by national governments and the US is the biggest contributors – its budget for 2025 is just below £ 50 million – but at the beginning of this year the US government withheld a pay of £ 2.8m against 23 Chinese swimmers involved in a very published doping scandal.
