Two-time grand slam champion Simona Halep has been given a four-year ban for anti-doping rule violations, the International Tennis Integrity Agency announced cnn.it/3P9qGgo
"We are condemning an innocent woman": Toxicology professor condemns four year ban handed out to Halep
WTAThursday, 14 September 2023 at 00:30
Toxicology specialist Claude Alvarez has condemned the
four-year ban handed to the former world number one Simona Halep.
The 31-year-old received a lengthy ban after testing
positive for roxadustat during the US Open last year.
Alvarez, while talking to French daily L’Equipe, stated that
the verdict seems an unfair one because of multiple reasons.
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“Here, we are in the process of condemning an innocent
person. Everywhere, she has always advocated doping-free sport. There, we made
a mistake,” said Alvarez. “So I went to get a sample from the only patient in
France who was taking this drug (e.n. roxadustat three times a week for kidney
failure) and tested one of her hairs and found concentrations of 50 picograms
per milligram.
“So someone who actually takes it for treatment has 50
picograms. This proves that she took doses that were not effective at all. You
need to explain to me why they would take a product in doses that are
ineffective.
“I repeated the experiment 14 times, and it was positive 14
times. I sent these results to the American WADA-accredited laboratory, but
when they repeated the tests, they found nothing. We say there is roxadustat in
the collagen, but the American lab says there is not.
“The independent tribunal admits that there was
contamination but does not believe that it is enough to lead to a positive
result and therefore that there is another source,” Alvarez also said. I am not
in favor of doping, it is very important to fight against it, but we have to
admit that you can be contaminated. A recent study shows that 60% of dietary
supplements are contaminated. Athletes should no longer take supplements.”
It is not clear when Halep, who has not played any professional
tennis since September 2022, will appeal against this decision.
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