JONATHAN VAUGHTERS DEFENDS NIGHTTIME DROPPING TESTS, SAYS THEY COULD HAVE SAVED CYCLING 25 YEARS OF DRAMA

Photo: Thibault Camus /AP/TT

Cyclists and teams are complaining about doping tests in the middle of the night during the Tour de France. But the tests are also being defended. “Testing at 2:00 am is effective,” team manager Jonathan Vaughters writes on social media.

The manager of the EF Education team admitted in 2012 that he had doped during his cycling career. He believes that nighttime tests are effective in detecting microdosing of EPO, growth hormone and testosterone.

"If the UCI (International Cycling Union) had tested us at 2:00 AM in 2001, we would all have been suspended, saving the sport 25 years of drama," writes Vaughters.

The 1990s and 2000s were a dark period for cycling when many stars were either caught or admitted to doping, including Lance Armstrong.

Tour de France leader Tadej Pogacar and Olympic champion Remco Evenepoel have called nighttime doping tests inhumane and disrespectful.

- TT News Agency,English edition by Sweden Herald

ENHANCED GAMES 100M FINAL WAS BIZARRE

THE ENHANCED GAMES ARE GETTING OUT OF CONTROL...

 

WORLD RUGBY WHACKS GEORGIAN

 

REPORTS are that World Rugby have thrown the book at a group of Georgian rugby personnel who were not only guilty of doping but also attempted to hide it by substituting urine samples.

Image: Pixabay

World Rugby have thrown the book at a group of Georgian rugby personnel who were not only guilty of doping but also attempted to hide it by substituting urine samples.

Former captain Merab Sharikadze has been banned for a whopping 11 years because of multiple offences, and team doctor Nutsa Shamatava for nine.

The other players suspended are: Giorgi Chkoidze (six years), Lasha Khmaladze (three years), Miriani Modebadze (three years), Otar Lashkhi (three years), and Lasha Lomidze (nine months)

World Rugby said their investigation of the Georgia senior men’s team began before the World Cup in 2023.

A parallel investigation between World Rugby and the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) was triggered when irregularities in urine samples were identified by World Rugby’s athlete passport management programme, covering an extended period of time before the 2023 World Cup in France.

World Rugby alerted WADA immediately, and the two bodies worked closely together throughout extensive investigations, which featured targeted player testing and DNA analysis by World Rugby, including on historical samples held via World Rugby’s long-term storage programme.

World Rugby believed that the urine sample substitutions were conducted to conceal the use of performance-enhancing substances, while the players asserted that the sample substitutions aimed to conceal the use of non-performance-enhancing substances (namely, cannabis and tramadol).

World Rugby has charged the Georgia Rugby Union with misconduct. The Union accepted a financial penalty against them, and have agreed to adopt anti-doping education to try and avoid repeat offences.

World Rugby Chief Executive Alan Gilpin said: “This case demonstrates the importance of operating a robust, science-led anti-doping programme with coordinated biological profile analysis, testing and long-term storage functions. Our extensive four-year investigation has helped identify subversion of the doping control process and sends a clear message that World Rugby takes all anti-doping matters extremely seriously.”

The scandal comes at an unfortunate time for Georgian rugby — they host this year’s Junior World Championship, which takes place from 27 June to 18 July.

The Junior Springboks are the defending champions.

- Mike Greenaway

THE FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION OF ENGLAND HAS DISQUALIFIED MUDRYK FOR FOUR YEARS FOR DOPING

Chelsea star Mykhailo Mudryk has filed an appeal against the four-year disqualification decision, which has been referred to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

The Football Association (FA) has disqualified Ukraine national team and London Chelsea midfielder Mykhailo Mudryk for 4 years for violating anti-doping rules. This was reported by UNN with reference to talkSPORT journalist Ben Jacobs and The Athletic. 

The Football Association imposed a four-year ban on Mykhailo Mudryk after a prohibited substance was detected in his system in 2024. The Chelsea star has already filed an appeal against this decision, which has been referred to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) 

- the journalist reported. 

The disqualification of the Ukrainian international will be backdated and will include a provisional suspension, which will keep him out of the game until 2028, although the exact date of his return is not yet known.

Currently, the parties (Mudryk and CAS - ed.) are exchanging written statements, and a hearing has not yet been scheduled. Subsequently, sources told us at talkSPORT that the disqualification period is four years, and Mudryk, using the services of the same lawyers as Paul Pogba, hopes to either achieve an acquittal at the Court of Arbitration for Sport or, in the worst-case scenario, secure a reduction in the disqualification period 

- the journalist adds. 

Addendum

In January 2023, Mykhailo Mudryk moved from Shakhtar Donetsk to London's Chelsea. The "Miners" received 70 million euros for the player and could also receive another 30 million euros in the form of bonuses. 

Shakhtar Donetsk CEO Serhiy Palkin stated in an interview with ESPN that Shakhtar risks losing a significant amount in bonus payments. 

"There are 30 million euros in bonuses in his contract. And if he doesn't play, if Chelsea doesn't achieve results, we will lose 30 million euros. This is a big financial blow for us. Therefore, everyone believes that this story will end as soon as possible with positive results, and Mudryk will return to the game. Otherwise, we will be in a position where we lose 30 million euros. I know Mudryk as a player and a person. I believe he will return and start playing. I know this because I have never met such a guy in my life. He is very hardworking. And he will prove that he is capable of playing and bringing results to the team. But, as I understand it, at the moment everyone is waiting for the court's decision, and we have no information about when this will happen and when the final decision will be made. Therefore, everyone is waiting for information" 

- Palkin said recently.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne confirmed receipt of the appeal from Mykhailo Mudryk against the decision of the English Football Association.

CAS confirms that it received an appeal from Mykhailo Mudryk against the FA, filed on February 25, 2026. The parties are currently exchanging written submissions, and a hearing has not yet been scheduled 

– CAS informed The Athletic. 

In 2024, the Ukrainian midfielder of the English football club Chelsea, Mykhailo Mudryk, failed a doping test. 

Subsequently, Chelsea confirmed the positive doping test of Ukrainian midfielder Mykhailo Mudryk. In turn, the footballer himself stated that he did not knowingly consume any prohibited substances. 

The Football Association (FA) charged Ukrainian Chelsea winger Mykhailo Mudryk with violating anti-doping rules. 

In June last year, Mudryk received a positive result from a "B" doping sample. 

During his suspension from football, Mudryk spends time, in particular, on computer games, including Counter-Strike 2.

Thus, in February of this year, the footballer was involved in a scandal during a Faceit match with Poles. The London club winger insulted players from Poland, specifically with his remarks regarding Volhynia, for which he received a ban in the game. 

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs even had to intervene in the Mudryk situation; in particular, the ministry emphasized that there should be no place for such incidents. 

- Pavlo Bashynskyi, UNN  

WINTER OLYMPICS 'PENIS-GATE' SPARKS ANTI-DOPING CONCERNS

Extraordinary questions have arisen over the prospect of athletes injecting acid into the penis, which would theoretically increase the suit sizes of ski-jumpers and improve aerodynamics

Getty

The World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) has responded to extraordinary questions over ski jumping athletes and whether they are injecting acid into their penises in a bid to gain an advantage at the Winter Olympics.

Preliminary events are underway in Italy, where the 2026 Games will begin in earnest on Friday, and already there have been unusual concerns around the men’s ski jumping, which is due to start on Monday.

German publication Bild has raised the question of whether athletes might inject hyaluronic acid into their penises, in a bid to increase the size of their genitalia – with the wider aim of enhanced suit sizes to improve aerodynamics.

These strange concerns come after Norwegian Olympic medallists Marius Lindvik and Johann Andre Forfang were suspended for three months, after the team were found to have secretly tweaked the crotch seams on their suits at the 2025 World Ski Championships.

Norwegian head coach Magnus Brevik, assistant coach Thomas Lobben, and fellow team member Adrian Livelten were banned for 18 months for their involvement. The tactic apparently made jumpers’ suits larger, thus reducing their rate of descent due to bigger wingspans.

According to a study in the scientific journal Frontiers, adding 2cm to the circumference of a suit would reduce drag by 4 per cent and increase lift by 5 per cent. In theory, a 2cm enhancement in suit size would give an extra 5.8m in jump length.

Bild quoted Dr Kamran Karim, who said: “It is possible to achieve a temporary, visual thickening of the penis by injecting paraffin or hyaluronic acid. Such an injection is not medically indicated and is associated with risks.”

Olivier Niggli, Wada’s director general, said on the matter: “I’m not aware of the details of ski jumping – and how this can improve – but if anything was to come to the surface, we would look at anything if it is actually doping related.

“We don’t do other means of enhancing performance, but our list committee would certainly look into whether this would fall into this category. But I hadn’t heard about that until you mentioned [it].”

Wada president Witold Banka said: “Ski jumping is very popular in Poland [Banka’s home country], so I promise you I’m going to look at it.”

The IOC and Milano-Cortina 2026 have been approached for comment.

- Alex Pattle

US STAR STRIPPED OF OLYMPIC MEDALS AND SENT TO PRISON NOW 'STRUGGLES TONWALK'

An American sprinter won five Olympic medals at the Sydney Olympics

An American sprinter who was stripped of her Olympic gold medals and later served time in prison has revealed that she now 'struggles to walk'.

Marion Jones was one of the stars of the Sydney Olympics in 2000, winning three golds and two bronze medals - becoming the first woman in history to claim five medals at a single Games.

Her victories came in the 100m, 200m and the 4x400m relay, while she added bronze medals in the long jump and the 4x100m relay.

However, Jones was later stripped of all five medals after admitting to using performance-enhancing drugs.

After years of denying allegations of steroid abuse, she finally confessed in 2008 that she had used banned substances.

At the time, Jones said: "I have no-one to blame but myself for what I've done.

"Making the wrong choices and bad decisions can be disastrous."

Marion Jones won five medals at the Sydney Olympics in 2000 (Image: Getty)

She was also sentenced to six months in prison, two years of supervised release and 800 hours of community service, after pleading guilty to charges of lying to federal investigators in 2003 about using performance-enhancing drugs.

Since her release in September 2008, the former sprinter has faced a series of health challenges.

In 2020, she was diagnosed with an auto-immune disease called neuromyelitis optica.

The condition left her temporarily paralysed and initially unable to walk.

Last month, Jones shared a video on Instagram of herself struggling to make her way down a set of stairs.

In the clip, she can be heard saying: “They [knees] are hanging on by a thread, fam… but we’re still standing.”

Jones then added a caption onto the post, writing: “It’s always “Are you Marion Jones?! You were the fastest woman in the world once!” And never “how are your knees doing?”

Marion Jones (Image: Instagram)

The video has now received more than 300,000 likes on her Instagram account where she regularly uploads to her 181,000 followers.

Speaking to ABC News last year, Jones reflected on how drastically her life has changed since her release from prison and how her focus has shifted towards supporting others.

"Well, I would hope that people would look at my journey, Robin, and ultimately come to the conclusion that failure isn't forever," she said.

"That although many people cannot relate to being an Olympic athlete, an Olympic champion, a convicted felon, everybody can relate when it comes to failure in their lives, right?"

"I coach, and teach and mentor entrepreneurs on how to pull themselves up when they're dealing with stuff.

"And I'm loving it. I'm so passionate about it."

- James Taylor

JOSEPH PARKER FACES POSSIBLE TWO YEAR SUSPENSION AFTER COCAINE APPEARS IN PRE FIGHT TESTING

A pre fight test collected on the day of the Fabio Wardley contest reportedly detected cocaine, creating uncertainty about Joseph Parker’s immediate future in the heavyweight division.

Joseph Parker - Image credit @joeboxerparker Instagram

Joseph Parker, New Zealand’s former WBO interim heavyweight champion, is facing a possible boxing suspension after a pre-fight drug test returned positive for cocaine. The sample was collected by the Voluntary Anti-Doping Agency (VADA) on October 25, the same day Parker fought Fabio Wardley at London’s O2 Arena.

Traces of the cocaine metabolite benzoylecgonine were detected. This substance can remain in the system for approximately four days, suggesting exposure occurred during fight week.

Parker’s promoter David Higgins and VADA have been contacted for comment. Parker is currently on holiday and has not responded publicly.

B-Sample And Regulatory Process

Parker can request his B-sample be tested, though historically these results match the A-sample. The Voluntary Anti-Doping Agency findings will be reviewed by UK Anti-Doping (UKAD) and the British Boxing Board of Control (BBBofC).

Cocaine, classified as a recreational drug rather than performance-enhancing, could result in a maximum two-year suspension. If Parker proves no negligence or intent, the ban could be reduced to a shorter period.

The 33-year-old has a distinguished career, facing top heavyweights including Anthony Joshua, Deontay Wilder, and Dillian Whyte. Parker lost to Joshua and Whyte in 2018 but defeated Wilder in 2023.

Parker captured the WBO interim heavyweight title in 2024 by defeating Zhilei Zhang, recovering from two knockdowns to secure the decision. He was scheduled to fight then-IBF champion Daniel Dubois in February 2025, but Dubois withdrew due to illness. Parker instead defended his interim title against Martin Bakole, stopping him in two rounds.

Parker entered the Wardley fight as a favorite but was stopped in the 11th round. The result caused some controversy, as many believed the referee ended the bout prematurely, and Parker was leading on points at the time.

Prior to Wardley, Parker was positioned as a leading contender to face undisputed champion Oleksandr Usyk in 2026. His loss now complicates that trajectory.

Statement From Promotions

Queensberry Promotions, led by Frank Warren, released a brief statement regarding the failed test:

“The Voluntary Anti-Doping Association [VADA] last night informed all required parties that Joseph Parker returned an adverse finding following an anti-doping test conducted on October 25 in relation to his bout with Fabio Wardley. While the matter is investigated further, no additional comment will be made at this time.”

Parker’s positive test comes amid a period of resurgence. After a 2022 loss to Joe Joyce, he won six consecutive bouts, including victories over Wilder, Zhang, and Bakole, re-establishing himself as a top contender.

With Usyk recovering from injury and Wardley now emerging as a leading contender, Parker’s suspension could delay his return to title contention. Despite this setback, Parker has indicated he intends to continue competing once eligible, leaving the door open for potential high-profile matchups in the heavyweight division.

- Jake Blend

ELINA SVITOLINA AND HUSBAND GAEL MONFILS FACE ANTI-DOPPING WAKE-UP CALL IN MADRID HOURS AFTER HER ROUEN TRIUMPH

Elina Svitolina and Gael Monfils - Source: Getty

Hours after clinching her 18th singles title at the Open de Rouen, Elina Svitolina, along with her husband, Gael Monfils, underwent anti-doping tests. The Frenchman was present in his home nation to watch his wife triumph.

On Sunday, April 20, Svitolina defeated Olga Danilovic in a hard-fought final in Rouen 6-4, 7-6(8). The Ukrainian was watched on by her 38-year-old husband, Monfils, from the stands as she earned her 18th title.

"I feel very good, it was a good tournament for me," Svitolina said after her victory (via WTA Tour). "Not an easy final, but very happy I could win all my matches in two sets and play good matches. I’m happy with the start of the season."

Gael Monfils and Elina Svitolina at the 2023 US Open - Source: Getty

Soon after, the couple traveled to Spain in a private jet as both of them will be playing at the Madrid Open next. However, early in the morning in Madrid, the couple had to undergo anti-doping tests. Revealing the news through an image on her Instagram Story, the Ukrainian captioned it:

""Love" the early mornings when we are in sync with anti-doping controls"

 Svitolina will receive a bye in her first round in Madrid as she is seeded, while World No. 42 Monfils will take on a qualifier.

Soon after World No. 17 Elina Svitolina bagged her 18th title in Rouen, she and husband Gael Monfils traveled to Madrid in a private jet. Upon reaching their destination, the Ukrainian booked an Uber XL.

"We just landed in Madrid, and my wife tells me she ordered an Uber XL. Well… have a look. That’s the Uber XL [he turns the camera to the vehicle]... Now she wins a tournament — and immediately starts booking Uber XLs!" Monfils said (translated from French).

At the Madrid Open, Svitolina is seeded 17th and has received a bye in the first round. She will face the winner of Jaqueline Cristian vs. Sonay Kartal in the second round.

Meanwhile, Monfils is preparing to face a qualifier in the first round of the Masters 1000 event. The winner of his match will take on the seventh seed, Andrey Rublev, in the second round.

- Aliasgar Ayaz

'THERE IS SO MUCH OF INCONSISTENCIES': NOVAK DJOKIVIC CALKS FOR OVERHAUL OF TENNIS ANTI-DOPING SYSTEM AMID CONTROVERSIAL CASES

Novak Djokovic (AP Photo)

Novak Djokovic called for a comprehensive reform of tennis's anti-doping protocols, highlighting disparities in the handling of cases involving prominent players Jannik Sinner and Iga Swiatek compared to lower-ranked competitors

The world's top-ranked player, Sinner, received a three-month suspension on Saturday, acknowledging "partial responsibility" for his team's errors resulting in two positive clostebol tests in March last year.

Initially cleared by the International Tennis Integrity Agency in August, Sinner faced a potential two-year suspension when WADA appealed to CAS. However, WADA unexpectedly dropped its appeal, settling for a three-month ban.

In a related development last year, Swiatek accepted a one-month suspension following a positive test for trimetazidine, a prohibited cardiac medication.

"There's a majority of the players that I've talked to in the locker room, not just in the last few days, but also last few months, that are not happy with the way this whole process has been handled," said Djokovic. "A majority of the players don't feel that it's fair.

A majority of the players feel like there is favouritism happening. It seems like, it appears that you can almost affect the outcome if you are a top player, if you have access to the top lawyers."

By contrast, former world number one Simona Halep received a four-year suspension from ITIA in 2022 after testing positive for roxadustat. She successfully reduced her ban to nine months through CAS after proving contaminated supplements were responsible.

"Simona Halep and (Britain's) Tara Moore and some other players that are maybe less known that have been struggling to resolve their cases for years, or have gotten the ban for years," said Djokovic. "There is so much inconsistencies between the cases."

Djokovic, set to compete at the Qatar Open following his injury withdrawal from the Australian Open semi-finals, advocates for systematic changes.

Right now it's a ripe time for us to really address the system, because the system and the structure obviously doesn't work (for) anti-doping, it's obvious," he said.

"I hope that in the next period of the near future that the governing bodies are going to come together, of our tours and the tennis ecosystem, and try to find a more effective way to deal with these processes. It's inconsistent, and it appears to be very unfair."

If you are going to treat every case individually or independently, which is what's happening, then there's no consistency, then there is no transparency, and some cases are transparent, some are not," he continued. "The problem is that right now there is a lack of trust generally from the tennis players, both male and female, towards WADA and ITIA, and the whole process."

 - TOI Sports Desk

ALCARAZ REAPONDS TO SINNER WADA BAN

 

BREAKING: JANNIK SINNER HAS ACCEPTED A THREE MONTH BAN FROM TENNIS 🎾 | SKY SPORTS

 

PAUL POGBA DRIVEN BY ANGER TO RETURN BETTER FROM DOPING BAN

 

Getty 

Paul Pogba has warned he will return to football "even better" from his ban for taking a prohibited substance, stating that he is driven by "anger" at his absence.

The 2018 World Cup winner is set to restart his career in March 2025 after seeing his ban for taking DHEA, a testosterone-enhancing supplement, reduced from four years to 18 months.

"For sure. It's going to be a new Pogba," he said when asked by ESPN if he can reach the heights of his peak despite the enforced break from the sport. "That's definitely for sure. And in the positive way, like I said, with more hunger, with more determination.

"I feel like a kid that just want to be professional again, that never signed professional. So this is the anger I have. That's what drives me. And I will do everything to come back at the level I was before and even better. Why not?"

Pogba, who told ESPN that he considered retiring before the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) reduced the severity of his ban, said he is determined to prove his fitness after injuries blighted his latter years at Manchester United and his return to Juventus.

After rejoining the Serie A side in 2022, Pogba managed just 161 minutes in 10 appearances in all competitions in the 2022-23 season as he was affected by knee, hamstring and groin problems.

"When you're injured mentally you probably get injured also physically," the 31-year-old said. "So one of the important things was to clean all that and have only positive energy around me, and obviously by being professional, by doing the right thing -- you're not 18 anymore for sure.

"So you have to take care of yourself and I want to dedicate all this time that I have and for the next year to dedicate on obviously what I love the most and to be at the level I want to be."

Pogba also said he is intent looking at football in a different light after nearly seeing his livelihood abruptly ended.

"When they take something from you that you love so much and that's when you appreciate it the most," he said. "So I see football totally different now, and I will enjoy every moment that I will have until the end of my career.

"Because I see [the ban as] a test, I've tested something like what would happen at the end of your career when you don't play anymore. So I just want to appreciate it, enjoy it and make people enjoy it."

Pogba and his entourage are holding contract termination talks with Juventus ahead of his planned return to football next March.

- Julien Laurens, Correspondent

WADA TO APPEAL JANNIK SINNER DOPING VERDICT, SEEKS SUSPENSION

 

Jannik Sinner defeated Jack Draper in the U.S Open final earlier this month. Julia Nikhinson/AP

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) against an independent tribunal's decision in August to clear world No.1 Jannik Sinner of wrongdoing after he failed drug tests, WADA said on Saturday.

The tribunal's finding of "no fault or negligence" was not correct under the applicable rules, WADA said in a statement.

WADA said it would seek "a period of ineligibility of between one and two years" for Italy's Sinner, who won the Australian Open and the US Open this year.

The announcement was made while Sinner was on court against Roman Safiullin at the China Open in Beijing.

Sinner tested positive twice for an anabolic steroid in March but was not banned in a decision by an independent tribunal announced by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) on Aug. 20 because the ITIA determined he was not to blame.

Sinner's accepted explanation was that the banned performance-enhancer entered his system unintentionally through a massage from his physiotherapist, who used a spray containing the steroid to treat their own cut finger.

WADA said it filed an appeal on Thursday to the Switzerland-based CAS.

"It is WADA's view that the finding of 'no fault or negligence' was not correct under the applicable rules," WADA said in a statement. "WADA is seeking a period of ineligibility of between one and two years. WADA is not seeking a disqualification of any results, save that which has already been imposed by the tribunal of first instance."

WADA suggested the rules were not followed correctly despite a prosecutor for tennis's integrity body -- which accepted Sinner's version of events -- being a lawyer who regularly works on high-profile cases for the global watchdog, including the successful appeal against Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva.

An appeal verdict at CAS could come quickly -- even within just a few months -- if the parties agree to cooperate. That's how it worked in another high-profile doping case in tennis involving Maria Sharapova.

Still, the case likely won't be resolved before Sinner begins the defense of his Australian Open title in January.

Sharapova tested positive at the Australian Open in January 2016 for the newly banned heart medication meldonium. She was banned for two years in June that year by the International Tennis Federation.

The Russian star appealed to CAS, had an appeal hearing in New York before three judges that September, and four weeks later got the verdict that cut her ban to 15 months.

The entire process for Sharapova with CAS took just four months -- far shorter than most doping cases, which typically last for about one year. The timeline can stall with the complexities of picking a judging panel, finding a hearing date and parties exchanging documents and evidence from expert witnesses.

During the Indian Wells hard-court event in March, Sinner tested positive for low levels of a metabolite of Clostebol, a banned anabolic steroid that can be used for ophthalmological and dermatological use. It's the same drug for which San Diego Padres star Fernando Tatis Jr. was suspended by MLB in 2022.

Sinner tested positive again eight days later in an out-of-competition sample.

He was provisionally suspended twice by the tennis integrity body because of those test results, but he successfully appealed twice to an independent tribunal judge and was allowed to keep competing on tour.

Sinner said his test results happened because his fitness trainer purchased an over-the-counter spray called Trofodermin in Italy that contained Clostebol and gave it to Sinner's physiotherapist to treat a cut on the physiotherapist's finger. The physiotherapist then treated Sinner without wearing gloves.

The ITIA said it accepted Sinner's explanation, after 10 interviews with the player and his entourage, and the independent panel agreed at a hearing on Aug. 15.

Sinner later announced that he had fired his two trainers.

Information from Reuters and Associated Press contributed to this report.

- ESPN News Services

NADAL DEFENDS SINNER, ANTIDOPING

AP Photo

NEW YORK -- Rafael Nadal has defended Jannik Sinner after the world No. 1 tested positive for a banned substance but avoided punishment, saying the Italian would never have considered doping and he was not judged differently just because he is the top-ranked player.

In March, Sinner tested positive for the steroid clostebol, which can be used to build muscle mass, but was cleared by a tribunal after they learned his physio applied a spray to a cut on his own hand before carrying out treatments on the Italian.

Sinner arrived at the US Open with players alleging double standards when he was cleared of wrongdoing where others had been provisionally suspended for similar positive tests, but Nadal said the antidoping organizations must be trusted.

"I have a virtue or a deficit, which is that in the end I usually believe in people's good faith. I know Sinner, I don't believe that Sinner has ever wanted to dope," Nadal told Spanish television show "El Hormiguero."

"I don't think we have to like it only when it is resolved in the way we think. In the end, justice is justice and I believe in justice.

"I believe in the bodies that have to make decisions and that really make them based on what they believe is right."

The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) cleared Sinner after he failed two drug tests in March, but he has always maintained his innocence, saying the amount of clostebol found in his system was less than a billionth of a gram.

The ITIA is an independent body established in 2021 by the governing bodies of the sport.

Novak Djokovic called for "clear protocols" and "standardized" approaches to doping cases while Australian Nick Kyrgios said Sinner should have been banned no matter the manner of doping, whether it was "accidental or planned."

However, Nadal said the authorities had not given Sinner preferential treatment.

"I'm totally confident that if he has not been sanctioned it is because those who have had to judge this case have seen very clearly that there were no sanctions to be imposed," added Nadal, who skipped the US Open due to fitness concerns.

"I do not believe that because he is Sinner he will not be sanctioned and because he is someone else he will be sanctioned. I really believe it and I am convinced of it.

"Afterwards, the opinion of others is also totally respectable. But, well, this is my opinion."

Top seed Sinner beat American Tommy Paul in the US Open fourth round Monday to set up a quarterfinal showdown against 2021 champion Daniil Medvedev.

Information from Reuters was used in this report.

- ESPN News Services

DJOKOVIC FAULTS TENNIS' 'LACK OF CONSISTENCY' AFTER SINNER RULING

 NEW YORK -- Novak Djokovic gets why some tennis players question whether there's a double-standard in the sport after Jannik Sinner was not suspended despite twice testing positive for steroids, and said Saturday that he agrees that there is "a lack of consistency."

Sinner tested positive twice in March for an anabolic steroid, but the International Tennis Integrity Agency determined the banned performance-enhancer entered his system unintentionally through a massage from his physiotherapist.

The ruling was announced Tuesday, less than a week before Sinner begins the US Open as the No. 1-seeded man. Djokovic, who won the tournament last year for his men's-record 24th Grand Slam singles title, is the No. 2 seed.

"I understand the frustration of the players is there, because of a lack of consistency," Djokovic said. "As I understood, his case was cleared the moment basically it was announced."

Some players commented on social media after the news broke, wondering if Sinner caught a break because of his standing as one of the best players in the game.

"We see a lack of standardized and clear protocols. I can understand the sentiments of a lot of players that are questioning whether they are treated the same," Djokovic said.

Djokovic said the Professional Tennis Players Association, which he co-founded, advocates on behalf of players for clear and fair protocols and standardized approaches to cases.

"Many players ... have had similar or pretty much the same cases, where they haven't had the same outcome," Djokovic said, "and now the question is whether it is a case of the funds -- whether a player can afford to pay a significant amount of money for a law firm that would then more efficiently represent his or her case."

Carlos Alcaraz, the 2022 US Open champion, said Sinner's case was a delicate issue.

"I think there's something behind this that a lot of people doesn't know. I don't even know. In the end it's something very difficult to talk about," Alcaraz said.

"In the end, he tested positive, but there must be a reason that allowed him to keep playing that we don't know. So I cannot talk a lot about it. He was declared innocent and so we have Jannik in the tournament, and so there's not much to talk about and I'm no position to add anything else."

- Associated Press

'MAYBE THIS SPORT'S NOT FAIR' US SWIMMERS VENT OVER DOPING CONTROVERSY

USA TODAY Sports 

 Faith in a level playing field at international competitions has been shaken by reports that Chinese swimmers had tested positive for banned substances ahead of the Tokyo Games in 2021, U.S. swimmers said on the eve of the Olympic Trials in Indianapolis.

The New York Times in April reported that 23 Chinese swimmers tested positive before the Tokyo Games but were allowed to compete anyway.

A subsequent Times report on Friday said three of them had also tested positive for another banned substance in 2016 and 2017 with two of those athletes going on to win gold in Tokyo.

"It's really frustrating for athletes to always have in the back of our mind that maybe this sport's not fair," two-time Olympic gold medalist Lilly King told reporters.

"We put everything on the line. Our privacy, everything that we do to compete on a level playing field. It's really frustrating to not have faith that others are doing the same thing."

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) on Friday pushed back against criticism of its handling of the most recent Times report, saying the positive tests were due to the swimmers consuming contaminated meat, which it said was not an uncommon occurrence in that part of the world.

"It's really disappointing and frustrating for all the athletes that do go through the (anti-doping testing) process on a regular basis," said Cody Miller, who picked up a gold and a bronze at the Rio Games in 2016.

"Like when they show up at my house when I'm trying to put my kids to bed or trying to feed them dinner and I have to go to the restroom with a stranger and pee in a cup."

Despite the controversy, U.S. women's national team coach Todd DeSorbo said morale was high among the swimmers headed into the Trials, which will determine the 52-person U.S. team for the Paris Olympics that begin next month.

"I don't know that it's impacted our athletes at all," he told reporters.

"They are thinking about today, tomorrow, this meet, this competition. They're focusing on themselves and getting ready to swim fast this week."

The U.S. Olympic Swimming Trials involve more than 1,000 athletes and are being held over nine consecutive nights at Lucas Oil Stadium, home of the NFL's Indianapolis Colts.

It is expected to be the largest swim meet ever.

- Rory Carroll 

RUSSIAN FIGURE STATER VALIEVA BANNED FOR DOPING, ROC LOSES OLYMPIC GOLD - CAS

 

Reuters 

Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva received a four-year doping ban on Monday, effectively stripping the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) of its gold medal in the team event at the 2022 Beijing Winter Games nearly two years after the competition.

In its long-awaited ruling, the highest court in sport found Valieva guilty of committing an anti-doping rule violation that rattled the Beijing Olympics and frustrated competitors who are still waiting for their medals from the event to be allocated.

"Kamila Valieva is found to have committed an anti-doping rule violation and sanctioned with a four-year period of ineligibility commencing on 25 December 2021," the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) said.

The court added that all of Valieva's competitive results achieved since that date are voided, including the gold medal she helped ROC win in the team event at the 2022 Games.

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), one of the parties that brought the case to CAS, welcomed the decision, describing it as a victory for fair sport.

ITALY'S SPORTS PROSECUTORS REQUEST 4-YEAR BAN FOR POGBA - MEDIA

Reuters 

Italy's sports prosecutors have requested a 4-year ban for Juventus (JUVE.MI) midfielder Paul Pogba over doping allegations, sports newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport and other Italian media reported on Thursday.

Pogba was suspended in September after a test by Italy's national anti-doping organisation detected testosterone, a hormone that increases athletes' endurance, after Juve's 3-0 Serie A season-opening victory at Udinese on Aug. 20.

His positive doping test was confirmed in a counter-analysis on a second sample in October.

- Reuters 

OLYMPIC BRONZE MEDALIST FAILS DOPING TEST

Reuters 

Hurdler Ronald Levy has been informed by the Jamaica Anti-Doping Commission that he failed an out-of-competition test taken last month, the Olympic bronze medallist said on Friday.

Levy, who finished third in the 110 metres hurdles at the Tokyo Games, said on Instagram that he did not knowingly breach any rules and was awaiting the results of his "B-sample" test.