The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) announced that Polish athlete Iga Swiatek has agreed to a one-month suspension after testing positive for an illegal substance. 

The five-time Grand Slam winner tested positive for a prohibited drug called trimetazidine.

The ITIA declared: “The ITIA accepted that the positive test was caused by the contamination of a regulated non-prescription medication (melatonin), manufactured and sold in Poland that the player had been taking for jet lag and sleep issues, and that the violation was therefore not intentional.” 

The ITIA offered the athlete a suspension on November 27.  The agency added: “The player was provisionally suspended from 22 September until 4 October, missing three tournaments, which counts towards the sanction, leaving eight days remaining… In addition, the player also forfeits prize money from the Cincinnati Open, the tournament directly following the test.” 

In a social media post, the athlete admitted: “In the last 2.5 months I was subject to strict ITIA proceedings, which confirmed my innocence. The only positive doping test in my career, showing unbelievably low level of a banned substance I’ve never heard about before, put everything I’ve worked so hard for my entire life into question. Both me and my Team had to deal with tremendous stress and anxiety. Now everything has been carefully explained, and with a clean slate I can go back to what I love most.”

 

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It is prohibited for athletes to use trimetazidine, both during and after competition, as it is classified as a ‘metabolic modulator.’ Unlike other stimulant-class performance-enhancing medicines, this specific drug is made to help with endurance in physical exercise, even though it would not raise the athlete’s heart rate. 

All because of melatonin 

The result of the test shocked Swiatek. She said: “It was a blow for me, I was shocked and this whole situation made me very anxious. At first I couldn’t understand how that was even possible and where it came from.” 

The 23-year-old athlete immediately cooperated with the ITIA, and began conducting tests on medications and nutritional supplements. According to these tests, the melatonin that the athlete claimed to take to aid her in her sleep was contaminated. 

Swiatek further said: “This experience, the most difficult in my life so far, taught me a lot… The whole thing will definitely stay with me for the rest of my life, it took a lot of strength, returning to training after this situation nearly broke my heart. So there were many tears and lots of sleepless nights. The worst part of it was the uncertainty.”

The WTA claimed to support Swiatek. WTA stated: “The WTA fully supports Iga during this difficult time. Iga has consistently demonstrated a strong commitment to fair play and upholding the principles of clean sport, and this unfortunate incident highlights the challenges athletes face in navigating the use of medications and supplements.” 

“The WTA remains steadfast in our support for a clean sport and the rigorous processes that protect the integrity of competition,” WTA added.

 

Source: CNN