The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) has confirmed that Nikola Bartunkova, an 18-year-old tennis player from Czechia, has been provisionally suspended under the Tennis Anti-Doping Programme (TADP).
The ITIA sent the player a pre-charge notice of an Anti-Doping Rule Violation on 16 April 2024 under Article 2.1 of the TADP (presence of a Prohibited Substance in a Player’s Sample) and/or Article 2.2 (Use of a Prohibited Substance without a valid Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE)).
Bartunkova, who reached a career-high world singles ranking of 226 in April 2024, provided samples while competing at an ITF W50 event in Trnava, Slovakia, in February 2024, and an ITF W75 event in Maribor, Slovenia, in March 2024.
Both the February and March samples were split into A and B samples and the subsequent analysis found that the A samples contained trimetazidine, which is prohibited under the TADP, in the category of Hormone and Metabolic Modulators (section S4 (4.4) of the 2024 Prohibited List). Trimetazidine is a non-Specified substance, and Bartunkova did not possess a valid TUE for the substance. Analysis of the B samples have since confirmed findings in the A samples.
Findings for non-Specified Substances carry a mandatory provisional suspension – in Bartunkova’s case, this is effective from 16 April 2024.
While provisionally suspended, Bartunkova is prohibited from playing in, coaching at, or attending any tennis event authorised or sanctioned by the members of the ITIA (ATP, ITF, WTA, Tennis Australia, Fédération Française de Tennis, Wimbledon and USTA) or any national association.
The ITIA is an independent body established by its tennis members to promote, encourage, enhance, and safeguard the integrity of professional tennis worldwide.
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Published 09 May 2024 11:20
