Olivier Niggli, the head of the anti-doping agency, detailed the reasons for his appeal against the ruling on Jannik Sinner. What will his argument be based on?
The news of Jannik Sinner’s positive test has been one of the major topics of discussion in 2024, but if anyone thought it wouldn’t have repercussions until next year, they were very wrong. Just when it seemed that time could fade the media attention on the case, with Sinner dispelling doubts with his on-court performance (winning the US Open after the positive tests were announced), the WADA, one of the world’s leading anti-doping organizations, decided to challenge the decision taken by the ITIA independent tribunal at the CAS.
What does this mean? It’s not that they think Jannik lied by any means, or that they question the fact that his positive result was due to contamination (amidst the oft-repeated story of the spray used by Giacomo Naldi and Umberto Ferrara); they simply believe that the consequences should have been different, and that the trial’s outcome does not align with legal standards in such cases.
This was expressed by Olivier Niggli, WADA’s Director General, in an interview with AFP: “The official decision concluded that Sinner was not at fault. Our stance is that there is a certain responsibility on the athlete’s part concerning their team. This will be the legal aspect to be debated (at the CAS). We do not question that the positive result may have been due to contamination, but we believe that the application of the laws does not match this legal case,” Niggli stated clearly, outlining a position that could extend this conflict for many more months (there is no clear date for CAS to receive this new trial, and it could extend well into next year).
A CLEAR POSITION IN FAVOR OF PLAYERS’ DEFENSE
To many, this may seem contradictory, but WADA’s chief has a great deal of trust in the players’ innocence and seems to be a staunch defender of their rights. “Personally, I believe that protecting an athlete’s reputation should be our top priority. We live in a world where social media is what it is, and with it, someone’s reputation can disappear in a very short period of time,” the official remarked regarding the scrutiny Sinner and Swiatek have faced following their positive tests. An exact date for the next trial in the ‘Sinner case’ is still unknown: could the legal aspect Niggli mentioned change everything? If so, Jannik could face a suspension of up to two years… further disrupting the current tennis landscape.
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