Sesil Karatancheva Banned for 2 Years

[TennisHack]

Decision in the case of Sesil Karatantcheva

www.itftennis.com/antidoping/news/pressrelease.asp?id=16150

London, ENGLAND, 11 Jan 2006 - The International Tennis Federation announced today that an independent Anti-Doping Tribunal convened under the Tennis Anti-Doping Programme has found that Sesil Karatantcheva has committed a Doping Offence under the Programme.

The independent Anti-Doping Tribunal has ruled that Ms. Karatantcheva, a 16-year-old Bulgarian, has committed a Doping Offence under Article C.1 of the Programme (presence of a prohibited substance in a sample) in that a sample that she provided on 31 May 2005 at Roland Garros, and another conducted out of competition in Tokyo on 5 July 2005, tested positive for a steroid (nandrolone), a substance prohibited in competition under the WADA Code and the Tennis Anti-Doping Programme.

The independent Tribunal, consisting of Mr. Tim Kerr QC, Dr. Anik Sax and Professor Vivian James, heard the matter on 14-15 December 2005 in London. The Tribunal determined that a Prohibited Substance (nandrolone) had been present in a concentration above the reporting threshold in both the May and July samples. The Tribunal rejected the player’s defences but determined that the two offences would be treated as one single first offence for sanctioning purposes. The Tribunal therefore confirmed commission of a Doping Offence under Article C.1 of the Programme and automatically disqualified Ms. Karatantcheva’s results at Roland Garros, requiring forfeiture of entry ranking points and prize money (€110,370), as well as entry ranking points and prize money (US$128,897) from all competitions subsequent to 2005 Roland Garros. The Tribunal declares that the player shall be ineligible for a period of two years commencing 1 January 2006.

For legal reasons, the Tribunal’s written decision with reasons will not be available until Thursday 12 January 2006. It will appear below as a pdf file.

Any party wishing to appeal the decision will have three weeks to do so from receipt of the written decision.

The Tennis Anti-Doping Programme is a comprehensive and internationally recognised drug-testing programme that applies to all players competing at tournaments sanctioned by the ITF, ATP and WTA Tour. The ITF tests at Grand Slams (men and women), Davis Cup and Fed Cup, ITF Men’s and Women’s Circuit, Junior and Wheelchair Tennis Events, and from 2006, manages the testing at all ATP-sanctioned events. The WTA Tour manages testing at WTA Tour events. Players are tested for substances prohibited by the World Anti-Doping Agency. Charges of breach of the Programme are heard by an independent Anti-Doping Tribunal.

[TennisHack]

Karatantcheva To Appeal Ban
By Tennis Week
01/12/2006

Sesil Karatantcheva announced today she will appeal her two-year ban from tennis. The 41st-ranked Karatantcheva's announcement of her intent to appeal came the day after she was hit with a two-year suspension for twice testing positive for the banned steroid nandrolone. The positive tests occurred on May 31st at Roland Garros and on July 5th in Tokyo.

"I am not guilty and I will appeal the penalty," the 16-year-old Karatantcheva said today in a press conference conducted in her hometown of Sofia, Bulgaria. "I blame the high concentration of nandrolone in my body on personal health reasons which I would refrain from commenting on here."

Karatantcheva's two-year ban is the longest drug suspension of any woman tennis player in history. She has three weeks to file an appeal.

"I'm going to appeal against the decision of the ITF at the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne, Switzerland," Karatantcheva said. "I will use my right to appeal before a higher authority."

Calling the sentence "disgusting", Karatantcheva said she will continue training and is committed to a comeback.

"It's disgusting. I am very angry. I didn't expect such a harsh penalty because I still think I did nothing wrong, nothing to be ashamed of," Karatantcheva said. "For me this decision is wrong and incompetent. I will keep training and be back in two years' time to prove I was unfairly penalized."

While Karatantcheva did not specifically state the ground for her appeal, it is believed her attorneys will argue the higher levels of nandrolone in her urine samples were due to the fact she was unknowingly pregnant at the time and later suffered a miscarriage. Pregnant women are known to produce higher levels of nandrolone, however the French sports daily L'Equipe, which broke the story of Karatantcheva's failed drug test at the French Open, states a pregnancy test of Karatantcheva's urine sample conducted by a Châtenay-Malabry lab was negative.

"The tribunal's ruling is subjective and one-sided," said Karatantcheva's father and coach Radoslav Karatantcheva, who is a former champion Bulgarian rower.

Karatantcheva's attorney said she will not deny the presence of nandrolone in her clients system, but will present evidence showing she did not ingest a banned substance.

"We have very strong evidence, things which were not taken into account at the hearing of the ITF tribunal," lawyer Darina Zinovieva said in comments published by the AP. "We'll file an appeal as soon as possible, and surely within the three-week deadline."