Iga Swiatek faces suspension after failing doping test
Iga Swiatek has accepted a one-month suspension after a banned substance trimetazidine was found in her sample.
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Iga Swiatek (Image via X)
Iga Swiatek accepted a one-month suspension after she tested positive for a banned substance in August this season. The banned substance, trimetazidine (TMZ), was found in her sample when she wasn’t competing. Swiatek was contaminated due to a medicine she was taking for jet lag and sleep issues.
The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) released its statement on November 28. After testing positive for trimetazidine, Swiatek faced a provisional suspension from September 2022 till October 4 and this is why she missed three tournaments, the Korea Open, the China Open, and the Wuhan Open. Swiatek did not play in a single tournament on the Asian swing and returned to tennis at the WTA Finals.
The ITIA accepted that the positive test was caused by the contamination of a regulated non-prescription medication (melatonin), manufactured and sold in Poland that the player had been taking for jet lag and sleep issues, and that the violation was therefore not intentional. This followed interviews with the player and their entourage, investigations, and analysis from two WADA-accredited laboratories.
The ITIA stated
As per the ITIA, the Pole provided the same on August 12 and the ITIA informed Swiatek about the failed test on September 12. The 23-year-old then appealed the provisional suspension to an independent tribunal. The suspension on Swiatek will end on December 4.
ITIA forfeited Iga Swiatek’s prize money from Cincinnati Open
Iga Swiatek ahead of the Asian swing had announced that she would be missing the Korea Open, China Open, and the Wuhan Open due to personal reasons. As Swiatek tested positive before the Cincinnati Open, the prize money of $158,944 she won from reaching the final was also forfeited.
Swiatek did not play in a single tournament on the Asian swing and returned to tennis at the WTA Finals. During her time away from tennis, Swiatek had also parted ways with coach Tomasz Wiktorowski and hired Wim Fissette.
This is the second time a top player tested positive for a banned substance. In August, ITIA announced just before the US Open that World No.1 Jannik Sinner failed drug tests in March during and after the Indian Wells.
TMZ is a drug that’s used to treat heart conditions. The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) banned it in 2014 because it can improve the heart conditions of players and act as a performance enhancer. 23 Chinese swimmers in 2021 were tested positive for the drug but they were allowed to participate in the Tokyo Olympics.
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Gouri Das
(4620 Articles Published)