CAS EXPANDS SUSPENSION OF ITALIAN TENNIS PLAYER SARA ERRANI TO 10 MONTHS

LAUSANNE, Switzerland – The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has increased the suspension of Italian tennis player, Sara Errani from two months to 10 months for anti-doping violation after upholding Nado Italia’s appeal on the issue.

The athlete and the Italian national anti-doping agency (Nado Italia) had appealed the 2 months suspension issued on 3 August 2017 by the Independent Tribunal of the International Tennis Federation (ITF) in which Sara Errani admitted to an anti-doping rule violation and was sanctioned with a two-month period of ineligibility and the disqualification of the results she achieved in the period from 16 February 2017 to 7 June 2017.

The CAS Panel upheld Nado Italia’s appeal and imposed a ten-month period of ineligibility, effective immediately. The period of ineligibility of two months served from 3 August 2017 through 2 October 2017 will be credited against the total period of ten months, CAS said.

The appeal filed by Sara Errani was dismissed by the CAS Panel.On 16 February 2017, Sara Errani underwent an out of competition doping control at her family home. Analysis of the sample revealed the presence of letrozole, a prohibited substance in the family of “Hormones and Metabolic Modulators” on the 2017 WADA Prohibited List (section S4). During the proceedings before the ITF and the CAS, Sara Errani did not contest the presence of letrozole. The tribunal of the ITF imposed a period of ineligibility of two months and disqualified the results achieved in the period 16 February 2017 to 7 June 2017.

On 23 August 2017, Nado Italia and Sara Errani filed appeals at the CAS challenging different elements of the first-instance decision. Nado Italia sought the imposition of a period of ineligibilitybetween two and twenty-four months, whereas Sara Errani sought to overturn the disqualification of
the results achieved in the period 16 February 2017 to 7 June 2017.The CAS Panel in charge of this matter held a hearing in the presence of the parties in November 2017 at the CAS headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland.