Jannik Sinner will see innocent doping verdict 'overturned' with a ban incoming says top sports lawyer

Tuesday, 03 December 2024 at 12:03

Jannik Sinner will likely be banned from tennis and a sanction will be imposed in the view of a top sports lawyer ahead of the case being held after the Australian Open.

Australian sports lawyer Tim Fuller who has represented sportspeople before including a swimmer in a similar predicament who still had to serve a 24-month competition ban explained why he will likely have to serve a ban.

Sinner tested positive twice for the banned substance Clostebol but the ITIA found no fault or negligence on the Italian's part and he escaped a ban. He thought he did so full stop but WADA decided to appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). It will be held in early 2025 but according to Fuller there is low and high fault with both gleaming negative outcomes for Sinner in reality.

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“In my opinion I believe that the no fault or negligence decision will be overturned on appeal and a sanction will be imposed,” he told The Sydney Morning Herald.

“I would suggest that it’s a very, very unusual case. All WADA are really doing here is saying we accept that it is unintentional but you bear, or did bear, a certain degree of fault or negligence for what’s happened … we say that you, as the athlete, bear the ultimate responsibility – which is strict liability – and we say, therefore, you have demonstrated fault and negligence in your actions.

“And then we’re going to look at now [what] we say is between a mid- to high-range level of fault or negligence, and that’s why they’re seeking [a ban of] one to two years.

“One year would be deemed to be at the high end of the low fault standard. Zero to 12 [months] is the range for low fault.”

Jannik × Esquire

🦊 pic.twitter.com/IcMGFIRZY5
— Janniksin_Updates (@JannikSinner_Up) December 2, 2024

Samuel GillEditor-in-Chief

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