Iga Swiatek’s Doping Saga under scrutiny as Renowned French Journalist criticizes Lack Of Transparency
“I can go back to what I love most,” is what Iga Swiatek said after acknowledging her doping ban. Once regarded as the best, her world took a U-turn when she was hit by a doping ban. While many supported her, many were quick to criticize her as well. One among them was a renowned French journalist who questioned the legitimacy of the ban. Swiatek was let off with just a one-month ban and Benoit Maylin, the French journalist was not happy with how the whole process went forward.
Maylin has raised serious questions about the transparency surrounding Iga Swiatek’s recent doping suspension. The five-time Grand Slam champion tested positive for trimetazidine (TMZ), a banned heart medication, in an out-of-competition urine sample taken in August. Swiatek claimed the result was due to contamination in a melatonin supplement she used for jet lag.
“How can we imagine that Swiatek was secretly suspended for three weeks and then allowed to play the Masters before serving another week of suspension? All this lacks coherence and above all transparency,” Maylin stated. He criticized the handling of the case, calling it “disastrous” for tennis.
Swiatek accepted a one-month suspension, which began on September 12, causing her to miss three tournaments, including the China Open and the Wuhan Open. She appealed the ban, citing a contaminated, regulated melatonin product from Poland as the source of the banned substance. The appeal succeeded, and her suspension was lifted on October 4.
