Iga Swiatek is free to play after the World Anti-Doping Agency said it would
not appeal against a sanction imposed for testing positive for a banned substance.
WADA released its decision just minutes after five-time Grand Slam champion Swiatek, sealed a 6-0 6-1 victory against Eva Lys to reach the Australian Open quarter-finals.
The world No 2 tested positive for trimetazidine in August but the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) accepted that the adverse finding was the result of a non-prescription medication being contaminated.
The ITIA imposed a one-month suspension on the 23-year-old Pole, and after reviewing the evidence WADA has now said it will not take the matter any further.
“WADA’s scientific experts have confirmed that the specific contaminated melatonin scenario, as presented by the athlete and accepted by the ITIA, is plausible and that there would be no scientific grounds to challenge it at CAS (the Court of Arbitration for Sport),” a WADA statement said.
“Further, WADA sought advice from external legal counsel, who considered that the athlete’s contamination explanation was well evidenced, that the ITIA decision was compliant with the World Anti-Doping Code, and that there was no reasonable basis to appeal it to the CAS.”
Swiatek was provisionally suspended from September 22 until October 4 but that was not made public, with the three tournaments the 23-year-old missed attributed to personal matters and a change of coach.
Swiatek then served an additional eight days to December 4 to make up the month.
WADA has appealed the exoneration of Jannik Sinner and a hearing is scheduled to be heard at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in April
WADA has appealed against decisions taken by the ITIA in relation to men’s current world No 1 Jannik Sinner.
Sinner tested positive for the anabolic steroid clostebol in March, but the ITIA accepted it was down to accidental contamination.
WADA has challenged that verdict and has asked for the Italian – who won last year’s US Open title shortly after the test was made public – to be banned from the sport for between one and two years.
CAS will hear the WADA appeal in the Sinner case on April 16 and 17.
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