ITIA Press Release, July 18, 2023
The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) can confirm that American tennis player Sydney Dorcil has been suspended for a period of four years following a breach of the Tennis Anti-Doping Programme (TADP), as determined by an Independent Tribunal. 20-year-old Dorcil, who reached a career-highest WTA singles ranking of 1255 in January of this year, was tested whilst competing at an event in Lima, Peru in November 2022. The sample provided was split into A and B samples and the subsequent analysis of the A sample found that it contained boldenone and its metabolites, which is a non-Specified Substance on the World Anti-Doping Agency Prohibited List. Adverse Analytical Findings for non-Specified Substances carry a mandatory provisional suspension. As such, Dorcil has been provisionally suspended since January 2023, pending a hearing with the Independent Tribunal. In accordance with the TADP, the period of ineligibility for a player’s first offence of this nature is up to four years, unless they can establish that the Anti-Doping Rule Violation (ADRV) was not intentional, in which case the period of ineligibility will be up to two years. Though Dorcil did not deny the charges, it was the player’s assertion that the presence of the boldenone in their system was a result of a contaminated vitamin B12 injection. However, the Independent Tribunal did not consider that the player had proved source in this case, nor did Dorcil establish, in the view of the Tribunal, that the ADRV was unintentional. Time served under provisional suspension will be credited against the player’s period of ineligibility. Having been suspended since 13 January 2023, Dorcil’s suspension will end at 11.59pm on 12 January 2027. During this period, the player is prohibited from playing in or attending any tennis event authorised or sanctioned by the governing bodies of tennis. In upholding the principle of the level playing field in professional sport, the Independent Tribunal also ordered that the player’s results, prize money and ranking points accrued between the date of the positive test in November 2022 and their provisional suspension taking effect in January 2023 should also be disqualified.
