CAS cancels Briane Harris' doping conviction: why the ruling could help Sinner

Rome, 15 January 2025 – The last sentence of the Court of Arbitration for Sport, Lausanne it's definitely encouraging for Jannik Sinner. The Tas has acquitted the Canadian curler Briane Harris considered "not guilty and not negligent" in the violation of the World Anti-Doping Code found last February. The player, who a few weeks ago announced that she was five months pregnant, was Four-year suspension cancelled.

Jannik Sinner awaits hearing at the CAS scheduled for April 16 and 17

"Not guilty and not negligent" is precisely the objective that the acquittal is aiming for. number 1 in world tennis currently engaged in Australian Open. On 16 and 17 April at the Tas in Lausanne the arbitration will take place which will deal with the case of the Italian champion called to defend himself after the appeal filed from Wada. Sinner had been found in March 2024 positive twice to an infinitesimal amount of Clostebol, a substance prohibited by the World Anti-Doping Code. At the control during the tournament Indian Wells (March 10), the metabolite was present in a concentration of 121 billionths of a gram per milliliter and on the morning of March 18, the second control, out of the tournament, the concentration was 122 billionths of a gram/milliliter.

Harris had been found positive for Ligandrol, substance banned by WADA and used for increase muscle growthThe player claimed she was contaminated during the intimate relations with husband. "The athlete fulfilled all his obligations to avoid contamination – reads the Tas documentation –. Harris couldn't have known or suspect that her husband was taking Ligandrol and was unaware of the potential risks. She never shared food or drinks in public or private for avoid any form of contamination".

Sinner has always maintained that the banned substance is entered unknowingly in his body during a massage performed by his physiotherapist, who was subsequently fired. Wada accuses the South Tyrolean of not having done enough to avoid contamination and has asked for a sentence of 1 to 2 years. Jannik's then physiotherapist, Giacomo Naldi, after having injured the little finger of his left hand, to cure the wound he had used the Trofodermin drug and subsequently, without gloves, had treated Jannik for what was later classified as "a transdermal contamination".