The doping scandal involving Iga Swiatek, the world No. 2 in the WTA rankings and a multiple Grand Slam tournament winner, seems to be escalating.
The young Polish athlete, 23 years old, has been suspended for only a month by ITIA after testing positive for the drug called trimetazidine, a substance prohibited by WADA regulations. However, she managed to immediately prove to ITIA that she unintentionally doped.
The Polish press managed to reach Michal Rynkowski, the director of the Polish Anti-Doping Agency, who had a slightly different opinion from the recent wave of reactions. Even Rynkowski, Igăi's compatriot, is shocked that ITIA has forgiven Swiatek, just as it happened with Sinner, expecting a much more severe punishment.
"She could have even received a four-year suspension. Trimetazidine is a prohibited substance, very similar to meldonium, which is quite commonly used beyond our eastern border. On the other hand, Iga Swiatek has shown that the substance entered her body through a contaminated product, and in that case, possible sanctions range from a reprimand to two years," stated the director of the Polish Anti-Doping Agency, as quoted by Super Express.
This punishment clearly shows that ITIA has judged Swiatek completely differently compared to Simona Halep, who received a 4-year ban, later reduced to 9 months by TAS: "There is no doubt that for Iga Swiatek, this sanction is beneficial, as it is almost the smallest possible for this substance. It was considered that the athlete made credible scenarios regarding how she used the contaminated product, which did not have the previously mentioned substance on the label," Rynkowski further added.
Swiatek has won 5 Grand Slam titles, four at Roland Garros and one at the US Open.
D.A.