Halep Cleared (More or Less) Free to Play

[jimlosaltos]

Today, The Court of Arbitration for Sport has REDUCED Simona Halep’s doping ban from 4 years to 9 months. She can return to the WTA Tour with IMMEDIATE effect.

This is yet another case where CAS, sort of the "Supreme Court for Sports", has basically repudiated what WADA and ITF ruled. She does get the equivalent of a reduced sentence for time served -- plus she's paid for her troubles, although that is a tiny fraction of her lost income.

Here is BBC coverage at link:

In response to the ruling, Halep hit out at "scandalous accusations".
While her case was partially upheld, Cas ruled Halep "on the balance of probabilities" had not taken roxadustat intentionally.

From memory, expert testimony widely differed on conclusions over test results based on minuscule amounts. Basically, the system is that WADA/ITF etc assume the accused is guilty and reject any expert testimony that disputes that of their own experts.

The other issue is that, if what CAS says is likely, that minute contaminants in supplements caused the test results, then what is the liability of the Mourtaglou group that recommended and obtained those supplements?

[jimlosaltos]

Tracked down the reference to the French government expert that testified for Halep -- including criticizing changing test conclusions from one category retroactively to match another test's conclusions. I believe this is a translation from L'Equippe

"Since her provisional suspension in October 2022, the former world No 1 has been fighting to clear her name, and has been able to count on a powerful ally. Professor Jean-Claude Alvarez – director of the toxicology laboratory at the CHU de Garches and judicial expert for the French Supreme Court – was contacted by the Romanian for an analysis of her hair, and has proclaimed her innocence in L’Equie.

“You’d think you were dreaming,” he told the newspaper. “Right now, we’re condemning an innocent woman. We’re making a mistake. Given the concentration she has in her hair, it’s not possible for her to be taking roxadustat effectively.”

While refuting roxadustat doping, Prof Alvarez also dismissed accusations of irregularities in the player’s biological passport.

“Six months on, they’re saying that her September sample is ‘lightly doping’ (slightly positive), when that wasn’t the case six months before. It was when they knew she had taken roxadustat in her analyses that the experts changed their interpretation. I just can’t understand it.”