Iga Swiatek Cleared to Compete: World No. 2’s Doping Ban Not Appealed by WADA

Iga Swiatek can continue playing tennis after the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) announced it won’t appeal her recent sanction regarding a banned substance. This decision came right after Swiatek’s impressive win against Eva Lys, where she dominated with a score of 6-0, 6-1, advancing to the quarter-finals of the Australian Open.

In August, Swiatek tested positive for trimetazidine, but the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) concluded that this happened because of contamination in a non-prescription medication. They imposed a one-month suspension on the 23-year-old Polish player. Following a review of the evidence, WADA decided not to pursue the case further.

A WADA statement noted, “WADA’s scientific experts have confirmed that the specific contaminated melatonin scenario, as presented by the athlete and accepted by the ITIA, is plausible.” They also mentioned that there was no solid basis for challenging the decision at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

Swiatek faced a provisional suspension from September 22 to October 4, which was not publicly announced. During this period, three tournaments were missed, officially labeled as personal matters and coaching changes. She later fulfilled an additional eight days of suspension to ensure the total duration matched the ITIA’s penalty.

Meanwhile, WADA has chosen to appeal the ITIA’s ruling on Jannik Sinner, the current world No. 1. Sinner tested positive for clostebol, an anabolic steroid, but the ITIA also ruled his case was due to accidental contamination. WADA is now pursuing a ban of one to two years for him, with a hearing scheduled for April 16-17.

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