The appeal of the Romanian tennis player Simona Halep against the decision of the Anti-Doping Agency to the International Tennis Federation (ITIA) to disqualify her from participation for four years due to violation of anti-doping rules, was registered by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). On September 12, the ITIA announced Simona Halep’s four-year sentence. Her disqualification begins on October 7, 2022 and will last until October 6, 2026.
“Arbitration proceedings at the CAS have begun. In accordance with the code of conduct, the parties exchange written opinions and an arbitration panel is formed to make a decision on this issue”, says the court’s announcement.
Small traces of a banned substance were found in Simona Halep’s blood during a doping test on August 29, 2022. The ITIA suspended her rights on October 21, 2022. Roxadustat, which is included in the list of prohibited substances by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), was found in her sample. The second charge is related to irregularities in Simona Halep’s biological passport.
The 31-year-old Romanian tennis player has 24 titles from the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) tournaments in singles and one in doubles. Simona Halep also has two Grand Slam trophies – the French Open (2018) and Wimbledon (2019). She topped the women’s world rankings for 64 weeks.
