The trouble with Ostarine: Jimmy Wallhead’s
16th March 2018
Features
Tennis Anti Doping Programme quarterly report: Jan – March 2018
About the Tennis Anti-Doping Programme
The Tennis Anti-Doping Programme (TADP, or Programme) applies to all players who hold an ATP or WTA ranking, or who enter or compete in events organised, sanctioned or recognised by the ITF. The purposes of the Tennis Anti-Doping Programme are to maintain the integrity of tennis and protect the health and rights of all tennis players.
Anti-Doping Working Group (ADWG) and Independent Review Board
This group, which is responsible for overseeing the Programme, met in March. Among the matters discussed was an updated risk assessment for doping in tennis and a proposal for the testing to be conducted in 2019. The Independent Review Board, which is responsible for (among other things) determining whether any person covered under the Programme has a case to answer for a potential violation of the Programme, held its annual meeting in March.
Education
Several targeted education notices have been distributed in the first quarter of 2018. These include information relating to: players’ rights and responsibilities; whereabouts; supplements; and Therapeutic Use Exemptions. The TADP app was downloaded 800 times over the same period and the ITF Knowledge education programme was completed 402 times, giving a total of nearly 1,000 completions since launch. In addition to the ongoing education provided by the ATP and WTA, a face- to-face education presentation was provided to players attending the ATP University in March.
Sample collection
Testing statistics for quarter 1 are shown in the table below.
|
2018 (Q1) |
Total samples |
Men |
Women |
|
In-Competition (urine)* |
941 |
612 |
329 |
|
In-Competition (blood) |
20 |
10 |
10 |
|
In-Competition (ABP) |
48 |
48 |
0 |
|
Out-of-Competition (urine) |
253 |
125 |
128 |
|
Out-of-Competition (blood) |
226 |
113 |
113 |
|
Out-of-Competition (ABP) |
246 |
124 |
122 |
|
Totals |
1,734 |
1,032 |
732 |
Notes: the statistics in the above tables do not include samples collected by National Anti-Doping Organisations (NADOs); ‘ABP’ refers to blood samples collected under the Athlete Biological Passport programme.
*The test distribution plan included more men’s than women’s events in the first quarter.
*The test distribution plan included more men’s than women’s events in the first quarter.
Twenty-two TUE applications were reviewed by the TADP TUE Committee under the Programme in the first quarter of 2018. All TUE applications are now made through the TADP online TUE Portal. The Portal aims to improve the security of TUE-related information, increase the efficiency with which TUE applications are submitted and administered, and provide more information to players and doctors about the status of applications. Of the 22 applications described above, 19 (86%) were granted, and 3 (14%) were denied. The average time from receipt of a fully-completed application to its grant or denial for the first quarter of 2018 was 2.1 days (compared to the 2017 full-year average of 4.6 days).
Sample storage
The Programme operates a sample storage policy, under which a total of 665 samples collected in the first quarter of 2018 (418 ‘In-Competition’ and 247 ‘Out-of-Competition’) have been placed into long- term storage at WADA-accredited laboratories. Samples are stored for the purposes of future analysis, such as in the event that new or more sensitive tests for prohibited substances are validated.
Decisions
The following announcements have been made since the previous report, all of which relate to cases arising from samples collected in 2017
• Elizaveta Koklina (RUS) was found to have committed an Anti-Doping Rule Violation under Article 2.1 of the Programme, on account of the positive sample provided by her on 23 October 2017, which contained torasemide and furosemide. Torasemide and Furosemide are specified diuretics/masking agents. As a consequence, a period of ineligibility of twelve months was imposed on her, back-dated to start from the date of sample collection.
• Zeynep Sonmez (TUR) was found to have committed an Anti-Doping Rule Violation under Article 2.1 of the Programme, on account of the positive sample provided by her on 24 October 2017, which contained Modafinil and its metabolites. Modafinil is a non-specified stimulant. As a consequence, a period of ineligibility of twelve months was imposed on her, back-dated to start from the date of sample collection.
• The charge against Spencer Furman (USA) was dropped, following the grant to him of a retroactive TUE.
• Adrian Barbu (ROM) was found to have committed an Anti-Doping Rule Violation under Article 2.1 of the Programme, on account of the positive sample provided by him on 16 August 2017, which contained nandrolone metabolite (19-norandrosterone) and methenolone metabolite, which are non-specified anabolic agents. As a consequence, a period of ineligibility of two years was imposed on him, back-dated to start from the date of sample collection.
These decisions bring the number of Anti-Doping Rule Violations announced under the 2017 Programme to nine. All decisions can be found on the ITF Anti-Doping website.
On 24 January, a social media statement by Alizé Cornet (FRA) that she had been charged with a violation of the Programme by virtue of committing three Missed Tests within a 12-month period was confirmed. At the time of writing, a decision is awaited from the Court of Arbitration for Sport in the appeal by the Italian National Anti-Doping Organisation against the decision of the Independent Tribunal, which suspended Ms. Errani for a period of two months.
Since the last report, Rebecca Marino (CAN), Marion Bartoli (FRA) and Esther Vergeer (NED) have been reinstated from periods of retirement. Any player who officially retires (by signing a retirement form) is no longer subject to the Programme. In order to regain their eligibility, a retired player must give six months’ notice of their return (3 months, if the retirement was prior to 2015). The latest list of retired and reinstated players can be found here.
• This media release was published by the International Tennis Federation (ITF) on 18 April 2018. Click here for the original.
