Halep’s doping ban is fall from grace but ruling bodies can make process fairer | Hannah Jane Parkinson

Former world No 1 had to wait a year to find out her fate while substances are banned despite giving no known boost

For Simona Halep, former world No 1, the outcome of her doping tribunal could not have been much worse. The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) has found the player guilty of two intentional breaches of anti-doping rules and handed her a four-year ban from competition. At age 31, it could be a career-ending sentence.

The Romanian tested positive for the prohibited substance roxadustat at last year’s US Open (the substance enhances the production of red blood cells, which could benefit endurance). Over a hearing that lasted two days, the ITIA found “substantial” evidence of doping violations as well as long-term irregularities in the player’s biological passport (a monitor of a competitor’s blood indicators) following analysis of 51 samples.

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