Simona Halep tennis wins doping case: Grand Slam champion approved for immediate tennis comeback Two-time Grand Slam winner Simona Halep has been cleared to continue playing tennis after the top sports court acknowledged that she was not totally to blame for her positive doping test.
About Simona Halep Tennis The Court of Arbitration for Sport has partially upheld Halep’s appeal, cutting her four-year suspension to nine months. This discount was applied retroactively and expired in July. The judges determined that Halep most likely consumed the illegal blood-boosting chemical through a tainted supplement.
Furthermore, the court ordered the International Tennis Integrity Agency to pay 20,000 Swiss francs ($22,650) for Halep’s legal fees. Previously, the agency wanted a six-year ban for Halep, who tested positive for roxadustat at the 2022 US Open. Halep risked a ban until October 2026, which would have extended past her 35th birthday.
The FDA banned Halep last year after a probe was prolonged due to the finding of probable irregularities in her biological passport, which indicated aberrant blood readings recorded over a number of years. The investigators submitted the case to CAS, seeking a maximum six-year ban. However, the court found in favor of Halep on the charges about her blood values. The former Romanian top-ranked player denied any wrongdoing in relation to the positive test result, blaming it on contaminated nutritional supplements. Athletes must demonstrate the source of contamination to prove their innocence in doping situations.
The court stated that, while Ms. Halep was found to be somewhat responsible for her offenses due to insufficient care in using the Keto MCT supplement, she was not found to be significantly at fault or careless. Halep appealed the ban to CAS and attended a three-day private hearing in Lausanne a month ago.
Leave a Reply