The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) acknowledges today’s decision from the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in the case of Romanian tennis player Simona Halep.

Following a hearing held between 7-9 February 2024 in Lausanne, Switzerland, the CAS panel has partially upheld an appeal from Halep against a disciplinary sanction imposed by an independent tribunal in September 2023, reducing the period of ineligibility from four years to nine months.

Today’s decision comes in the form of a summary “operative award”, with the CAS panel’s full written decision to follow at a later date.

ITIA Chief Executive Officer, Karen Moorhouse, said: “An essential element of the anti-doping process is a player’s ability to appeal, and the ITIA respects both their right to do so, and the outcome.

“The ITIA awaits the full reasoned decision and will review it thoroughly in due course.”

In 2023, Halep was found, by an independent tribunal, to have breached the Tennis Anti-Doping Programme. For full details, including the written decision from the first instance hearing, click here.

The player is free to resume playing as of today’s date subject to any entry date requirements of particular tournaments.

The ITIA is an independent body established by its tennis members to promote, encourage, enhance, and safeguard the integrity of professional tennis worldwide.  

Ends

Published 05 March 2024 15:55

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