Olivier Niggli, Director General of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), highlighted in an interview with the French newspaper L'Équipe a growing issue of contamination in approved substances with trace amounts of banned substances.
The WADA chief emphasized that modern testing technologies can now detect even trace amounts of banned substances, potentially leading to doping accusations from activities that might otherwise seem harmless.
Niggli emphasized that WADA is carefully examining each case of this nature and may soon need to establish thresholds to differentiate accidental microdosing from intentional doping.
The case of Poland's top tennis player, Iga Świątek, who tested positive for a minimal amount of the banned substance trimetazidine, is emblematic of this challenge.
The Italian edition of Eurosport speculates that Iga Świątek's case could be brought before the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) if WADA decides to challenge the initial ruling by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA).
The issue has drawn comparisons to the ongoing doping controversy surrounding Italian tennis player Jannik Sinner, who tested positive for the banned steroid Clostebol. While the ITIA initially found no fault or negligence, WADA has appealed, seeking sanctions.
Poland's inspectorate to reveal findings in Iga Świątek doping investigation
This week, the results of an unannounced inspection by Poland’s Chief Sanitary Inspectorate (GIF) will be revealed following reports of the suspension of Polish tennis player Iga Świątek due to trace amounts of banned substances found in her melatonin, which she uses to help with sleep.
In a statement released on Friday, GIF confirmed that the Polish pharmaceutical company LEK-AM produces both melatonin products and trimetazidine (a heart medication used in coronary artery disease), with minimal traces of trimetazidine detected in the doping sample taken from Świątek.
If a quality defect is confirmed, appropriate actions will be taken against both the medicinal product and its manufacturer.
Source: L'Équipe /WADA/Eurosport/GIF
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