The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) has today confirmed that 33-year-old Mike Denayer, a Wheelchair tennis player from Belgium has accepted a charge under the Tennis Anti-Doping Programme (TADP) for the presence of Cannabis. The player has been banned from tennis for a period of one month.
The player who has a highest ITF ranking of 34, was tested at an event in Belgium in 2022 and subsequent analysis found that the sample contained cannabis, which is listed on the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Prohibited List. Cannabis is a Specified Substance which does not carry a mandatory provisional suspension, but the player accepted a voluntary provisional suspension on 17 January 2023.
The default period of ineligibility under Article 10.2.4.1 of the TADP is three months, which was reduced to one month after the ITIA accepted the player’s explanation following consultation with a doctor, that consumption was not performance-related, nor substance abuse, but was for very occasional pain management.
The one-month period of ineligibility commenced on the date of the player’s voluntary provisional suspension (17 January 2023) and concludes on 16 February 2023. The full decision will be published on the ITIA website.
The ITIA is the delegated third party, under the World Anti-Doping Code (the Code) of the International Tennis Federation, the international governing body for the sport of tennis and signatory of the Code. The ITIA is responsible for the management and administration of anti-doping across professional tennis in accordance with the TADP.
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Published 16 February 2023 17:15
