2024-11-29 14:31 update: 2024-11-29, 14:34
Photo PAP/Marcin Cholewiński
The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) has determined that Iga Swiatek is not guilty of intentionally violating antidoping regulations, following an investigation that took place after her appeal.
The ITIA said in its statement issued on Thursday that a sample taken from Swiatek on August 12 contained traces of a substance banned in sports, trimetazidine (TMZ). Consequently, Swiatek was provisionally suspended and missed three tournaments that followed: in Seoul, Beijing and Wuhan. At that time, Swiatek gave fatigue and personal issues as the reasons for her absence.
In an investigation that followed Swiatek's appeal against the suspension, ITIA traced the substance to a contaminated over-the-counter drug, melatonin. Manufactured and sold in Poland, it was used by Swiatek to alleviate jet lag and sleep problems caused by frequent changes of time zones during travel between various tennis tournaments.
According to ITIA, the breach was unintentional and not caused by "significant fault or negligence". Due to the minimal concentration of the banned substance, Swiatek was given a one-month suspension which she accepted and would be able to return to competitive play after December 4.
"Now everything has been carefully explained, and with a clean slate I can go back to what I love most... stronger than ever," Swiatek said in a statement made on social media on Thursday.
Michal Rynkowski, the director of the Polish Anti-Doping Agency (POLADA), told PAP that the monthly suspension by the ITIA was "a favourable decision for the player." "We are talking about the practically lowest penalty. The sanction could practically have ranged from a reprimand to a two-year suspension from play," he said.
Polish Minister of Sports and Tourism Slawomir Nitras also commented on the matter on social media. "Even the greatest perfectionists sometimes fall victim to other people's mistakes," he wrote on Thursday on the X platform. "It's good that this is the end of the story... Go, Iga!" he added.
Swiatek is among the most successful female players in recent years. Until October 2024, she was number one in the world's female tennis ranking, and currently occupies the second position.
She has won the total of 22 Women's Tennis Association (WTA) tournaments, including five Grand Slams.
Swiatek is also the eighth top-earning tennis player of all times, having won over USD 33 million in official WTA prize money.
The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), headed by Poland's Witold Banka, has the right to appeal against ITIA's final decision regarding Swiatek. (PAP)
wpb/jch
