Iga Swiatek has accepted a one-month suspension after testing positive for the banned substance trimetazidine (TMZ) in August of this year.
The International Tennis Integrity Agency announced the news on Thursday, confirming that they accepted the positive test was the result of contamination via medication.
An ITIA investigation resulting in a finding of “No Significant Fault or Negligence”. Swiatek has already served a provisional suspension which will count towards her one-month ban.
Swiatek tested positive for “low levels” of the prohibited substance in an out-of-competition urine sample on August 12 2024. The ITIA then sent the world No. 2 a pre-charge notice for an Anti-Doping Rule Violation a month later.
TMZ is classified as “a non-Specified substance” and the 23-year-old did not possess a valid therapeutic use exemption for the substance. She was automatically given a provisional suspension from September 12.
Swiatek appealed the provisional suspension to an independent tribunal on September 22 and identified the source of the contamination.
The ITIA said: “Whilst the appeal was being considered, the player notified the independent tribunal chair that they had identified that a regulated non-prescription melatonin medicine, manufactured and regulated in Poland, was contaminated with TMZ and hence was the source of their positive test.
“The contamination was confirmed by the independent and WADA-accredited Sports Medicine Research & Testing Laboratory (SMRTL) in Utah, USA and the scenario was verified by an independent scientific expert from another WADA-accredited laboratory.”
The ITIA did not oppose to Swiatek’s provisional suspension being lifted on October 4. Because her appeal was successful and was requested in the allocated 10-day timeframe, news of the Polish star’s provisional suspension was not made public.
The five-time Grand Slam champion missed three events during her provisional suspension – the WTA 500 in Korea and two WTA 100 events in Beijing and Wuhan.
The Wuhan tournament started on October 7 but she was still suspended during the tournament deadline days earlier. At the time, Swiatek said she was skipping the tournaments to adjust to changes in her coaching team after parting ways with Tomasz Wiktorowski.
Following a full investigation, the ITIA has “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.”
The ITIA interviewed Swiatek and her entourage, and used analysis from two WADA-accredited laboratories.
The body also said: “In relation to the Player’s level of fault, as the contaminated product was a regulated non-prescription medication in the player’s country of origin and purchase and considering all the circumstances of its use (and other contaminated product cases under the World Anti-Doping Code), the player’s level of fault was considered to be at the lowest end of the range for ‘No Significant Fault or Negligence’.”
The ITIA offered Swiatek a one-month suspension. On November 27, she formally admitted the ADRV and accepted the sanction. Because the world No. 2 has already served a provisional suspension, this time is included in the one-month ban.
It means Swiatek has eight days left of her overall suspension. Her period of ineligibility will end on 4 December 2024.
Swiatek has also forfeited prize money from the Cincinnati Open, the tournament directly following the test. The ITIA has also confirmed that she will lose the ranking points she earned from reaching the semi-final at that tournament.
Content Source: www.express.co.uk