S Poddar
Controversial Decision Sparks Debate in World Tennis
The tennis world sent into dismay when the International Tennis Integrity Agency issued a statement that the world’s number one, Jannik Sinner, has been absolved of two positive tests for a prohibited anabolic steroid. The decision has sparked uproar and raised questions of fairness on the part of many in the sporting world.
Nick Kyrgios, of course, was one of the loudest critics of his ruling body. The Australian tennis star argued that Sinner should have had a two-year ban no matter whether the positive tests were an accident. “It’s ridiculous,” Kyrgios said. “You get tested twice with a banned substance. you should be gone for 2 years. Your performance was enhanced.”
Others, like Denis Shapovalov and Lucas Pouille, were also annoyed at the governing body, the ITIA. Shapovalov asked the riddle of the governing body’s consistency in their rules, while Pouille said flatly, “Maybe we should stop taking us for fools, no?”
However, not all the players were really against him, or the ITIA for that matter, following the pronouncement, as is the case with all contentious issues. John Millman, a compatriot from Australia, defended his fellow man by stating that the substance found in the player’s system was in very trace amounts, and the ITIA had gone on to handle the case the right way. He further said that most athletes in very many sporting disciplines are given TUEs which allow them to use prohibited substances for health reasons.
The decision of the ITIA to exonerate Sinner was based on the realization that the positive tests emanated from contamination by a member of his support team. It said that the Italian had been treated by his physiotherapist with an over-the-counter spray, which contained the prohibited substance, for a cut that had contaminated his skin.
But the explanation of the ITIA did not go well with most of the fans and the players. According to some, it is just hard to believe that such a small amount of that banned substance could enter Sinner’s system through accidental contamination. The performance has scaled up drastically over the years, so this substance could have probably helped him with that.
The debate on Sinner’s case just goes to add the list of unresolved challenges that anti-doping agencies continue to face in the world of sports. While ITIA might have stuck to the rules and procedure in this case, the decision has definitely left many vying regarding the effectiveness of the current system and the severity of penalties for doping offenses.
Such controversy poses uncertainty and questions for the continued sport of tennis as this tennis season rolls on.
