By Richard Pagliaro | @Tennis_Now | Tuesday, March 5, 2024
Simona Halep has won her appeal reducing her four-year doping ban to nine months; the former No. 1 is now eligible to return to the pro tour.
Photo credit: Vaughn Ridley/Getty
The truth has set Simona Halep free.
Halep scored a major victory in her appeal of her four-year doping ban. The Court of Arbitration for Sport unanimously ruled Halep's four-year ban is reduced to nine months in a decision issued today.
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The ruling clears the way for the former world No. 1 to return to the pro circuit now.
"I cannot wait to return to the tour," Halep said in a statement. "Despite facing daunting accusations and formidable opposition, my spirit remained buoyant, anchored in my unwavering conviction of being a clean athlete.
"This ordeal has been a testament to resilience, and the triumph of truth is a bittersweet vindication that, albeit delayed, is immensely gratifying."
The CAS ruled the two-time Grand Slam champion had "on the balance of probabilities” showed her positive test for a banned substance Roxadustat was unintentional and caused by a contaminated supplement as she claimed.
"Although the CAS Panel found that Ms. Halep did bear some level of fault or negligence for her violations, as she did not exercise sufficient care when using the Keto MCT supplement, it concluded that she bore no significant fault or negligence," the CAS said in its ruling.
As a result, the CAS lifted the ban enabling the Romanian superstar to return to tennis.
"The CAS Panel has unanimously determined that the four-year period of ineligibility imposed by the ITF Independent Tribunal is to be reduced to a period of ineligibility of nine (9) months starting on 7 October 2022, which period expired on 6 July 2023," the CAS announced in a statement. "As that period expired before the appeal procedures were even lodged with the CAS, the CAS Panel has determined it appropriate to issue the operative part of the Arbitral Award as soon as practicable, together with a comprehensive media release.
"The CAS Panel has also ordered the disqualification of all competitive results achieved by Ms. Halep from 29 August 2022 (the date of her positive sample) to 7 October 2022, including forfeiture of any medals, titles, ranking points and prize money. Therefore, the appeal filed by the ITIA is dismissed and the appeal filed by Simona Halep is partially upheld (her request to backdate the start of the suspension on 29 August 2022 is dismissed)."
Read the complete Court of Arbitration for Sport ruling in Simona Halep's case here.
The CAS unanimous decision is vindication for Halep, who has maintained she never intentionally doped.
Speaking to the media outside the Court of Arbitration for Sport hearing in Lausanne, Switzerland after its three-day hearing in her case last month, Halep said she was confident she would win her appeal and be on court "soon."
"I had the chance to show my defense and I really believe that the truth is going to come out and the day to be on court is going to be soon," Halep said in a prediction that proved prophetic.
The owner of 24 career titles, Halep has not played a match since her 2022 US Open opening-round loss to qualifier Daria Snigur. Weeks before her US Open loss, Halep captured her 24th career championship in Toronto.
The 32-year-old Halep tested positive for the banned drug Roxadustat at the 2022 US Open. Roxadustat is legitimately used for the treatment of anaemia but is on the WADA Prohibited Substance list as a blood doping agent, which increases hemoglobin and the production of red blood cells. It has been used by middle distance and long-distance runners in the past. In May of 2023,
Halep was hit with a further and separate breach of the Tennis Anti-Doping Program, relating to irregularities in her Athlete Biological Passport.
Consequently, Halep was serving a suspension set to run from October 7, 2022 until October 6, 2026.
Arriving in Lausanne, Switzerland for her hearing last month, Halep knew her career was on the line.
Now, the former world No. 1 can resume and try to revive her career.
The CAS Panel has issued the following decision in Simona Halep's case:
1. The appeal filed by Simona Halep on 28 September 2023 against the decision issued on 22 September 2023 by the ITF Independent Tribunal is admissible and is partially upheld.
2. The appeal filed by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) on 14 December 2023 against the decision issued on 22 September 2023 by the ITF Independent Tribunal is admissible and is dismissed.
3. The decision issued on 22 September 2023 by the ITF Independent Tribunal is set aside.
4. Simona Halep is found to have committed Anti-Doping Rule Violations under Articles 2.1 (presence) and 2.2 (use) of the Tennis Anti-Doping Programme 2022 as a result of the presence of a Prohibited Substance (Roxadustat) in her urine sample collected In-Competition on 29 August 2022.
5. Simona Halep is sanctioned with a period of Ineligibility of nine (9) months, commencing on 7 October 2022.
6. Credit is given to Simona Halep for her provisional suspension served since 7 October 2022.
7. All results obtained by Simona Halep in competitions taking place in the period 29 August 2022 to 7 October 2022 are disqualified, with all resulting consequences, including forfeiture of any medals, titles, ranking points and prize money.
8. The award is pronounced without costs, except for the Court Office fees of CHF 1,000 (one thousand Swiss francs) paid by each of Simona Halep in respect of her appeal and the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) in respect of its appeal, which is retained by the CAS.
9. The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) is ordered to pay Simona Halep an amount of CHF 20,000 (twenty thousand Swiss francs) as a contribution towards her legal fees and other expenses incurred in connection with these arbitration proceedings