A large part of Simona Halep’s four-year ban was lifted.
Simona Halep returns to the courts. PDO
The doping sentence of Simona Halep, the winner of the two-time tennis Grand Slam tournament, has changed. According to the BBC Halep’s four-year doping ban was shortened to nine months.
With the decision of the International Court of Arbitration for Sport, Cas, Halep can immediately return to the tennis courts.
The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) reported in September 2023 that Halep has been banned for four years for blood doping. Halep’s doping sample contained the substance roxadustat, which increases red blood cells and the flow of oxygen to the muscles. He had given a sample containing the substance at the US Open 2022.
There were also irregularities in Halep’s biological passport.
According to Cas, Halep did not violate the doping rules on purpose. Cas says that roxadustat ended up in the athlete’s body through a contaminated nutritional supplement. The arbitration court considered that Halep’s negligence is not great enough for such a large verdict.
Halep feared that her career would be over if the doping scandal did not change. He has won the rest of the French Open and Wimbledon in his career.