LONDON, ENGLAND - JULY 06: Simona Halep of Romania celebrates winning match point against Amanda ... [+]
Former Wimbledon and French Open champion Simona Halep has been cleared to return to tennis with immediate effect after the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) reduced her four-year ban to nine months on Tuesday following her appeal.
Halep was initially banned for four years for two separate anti-doping rule violations. However CAS ruled that her suspension should be reduced to nine months, a period she has already served.
"The CAS Panel has unanimously determined that the four-year period of ineligibility... 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," CAS said in a statement.
Anti-Doping Violations
Halep was provisionally suspended from competition on October 7, 2022, after she tested positive for the banned substance roxadustat at the 2022 U.S. Open – which she subsequently vehemently denied ingesting intentionally and attributed to a contaminated nutritional supplement.
She was later charged with an additional anti-doping rule violation due to irregular findings in her Athlete Biological Passport, which establishes an individual profile of an athlete’s blood from regular blood tests.
Halep was found to have committed anti-doping rule violations by an Independent Tribunal and handed a four-year ban on Sept. 22, 2023. But she filed an appeal to CAS – the independent, highest tribunal for global sport – and participated in a hearing in Lausanne, Switzerland last month.
CAS Ruling
That body set aside the Independent Tribunal’s decision and partially upheld Halep’s appeal ruling that she bore "no significant fault or negligence" for her initial positive test, and she had established "on the balance of probabilities" that the supplement was contaminated.
“Having carefully considered all the evidence put before it, the CAS Panel determined that Ms. Halep had established, on the balance of probabilities, that the Roxadustat entered her body through the consumption of a contaminated supplement which she had used in the days shortly before 29 August 2022 and that the Roxadustat, as detected in her sample, came from that contaminated product,” CAS said.
LONDON, ENGLAND - JULY 13: Simona Halep of Romania shows off the trophy after winning the Ladies' ... [+]
“As a result, the CAS Panel determined that Ms. Halep had also established, on the balance of probabilities, that her anti-doping rule violations were not intentional.
“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.”
On the passport charge, the CAS ruled that it was "not comfortably satisfied" that a violation of the appropriate statute of the Tennis-Anti Doping Program (TADP) had occurred and dismissed the charge.
‘Renewed Vigor’
Halep, who has not competed since her first-round loss at the 2022 U.S. Open, said she is looking forward to returning to the tour “with renewed vigor and an invigorated spirit”.
“In the midst of this challenging journey, my unwavering belief in the integrity of the truth and in the principles of justice has been my beacon,” Halep said in a post on Instagram, along with photos of her Wimbledon and French Open trophies.
“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.
“I extend my heartfelt gratitude to my legal team, whose steadfast faith and exceptional dedication have been instrumental in navigating through these turbulent times. Equally, my sponsors, loyal fans, and some commendable competitors have been my pillars of strength, offering unwavering support and solidarity,” she added.
The WTA welcomed CAS’s decision saying, “The WTA respects the processes that are in place to protect the integrity of the sport and provide a clean and fair sporting environment.
“With this, the WTA fully supports the decision by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) and we welcome Simona’s immediate return to play."
