Jannik Sinner’s three-month ban for a pair of positive drug tests has been defended by the World Anti-Doping Agency after claims the world number one’s punishment was too lenient.
Sinner’s long doping saga came to an end on Saturday after the tennis star agreed to the ban, admitting “partial responsibility” for team mistakes which led to him twice testing positive for traces of clostebol in March last year.
The Italian was facing a potential ban of two years after WADA appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport against his initial exoneration by the International Tennis Integrity Agency.
But WADA withdrew its appeal and came to an agreement with Sinner over his three-month ban after accepting the 23-year-old was inadvertently contaminated by his physiotherapist.
Sinner said that the banned substance entered his system when his physio used a spray containing it to treat a cut, then provided massage and sports therapy to the player.
The sanction has been questioned and criticised by current and former players including Novak Djokovic.
However, WADA’s general counsel Ross Wenzel believes the sanction level was “in the right place” for what had occurred.
“This was a case that was a million miles away from doping,” he told BBC Sport on Tuesday.
“The scientific feedback that we received was that this could not be a case of intentional doping, including micro-dosing.
“WADA has received messages from those that consider that the sanction was too high and, in some respects, if you have some saying this is unfair on the athlete, and others saying it’s not enough, maybe it’s an indication that although it’s not going to be popular with everyone, maybe it’s an indication that it was in the right place.
“When we look at these cases we try to look at them technically, operationally and we don’t do it with fear of what the public and the politicians or anyone is going to say.”
Content Source: sportstar.thehindu.com