Players to face stricter anti-doping whereabouts rules from 2027
FILE PHOTO: Three tennis balls are seen at Flushing Meadows, New York, United States, on September 6, 2026. REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz/File Photo
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Oct 21 : Tennis players will lose a longstanding exemption from strict anti-doping whereabouts requirements during tournaments from January 2027, the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) said on Wednesday.
• Changes to the World Anti-Doping Code require players in a sport’s Registered Testing Pool (RTP) to provide a daily 60-minute testing window during competition from 2027, ending an exemption previously granted to tennis because of the unpredictability of players’ schedules.
• The ITIA, an independent body that protects fairness in the game, said that it would reduce the size of its RTP, moving around 80 per cent of players currently in the group to an expanded testing pool where the daily 60-minute requirement will not apply.
• “Players who remain in the reduced RTP will be required to provide a daily 60-minute time slot like athletes in every WADA-compliant sport, both in and out of competition,” the ITIA added.
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• The number of players selected across both testing pools will be broadly consistent with the current testing pools, and testing frequency and volume are unlikely to change.
• The new rules will also provide greater protection for players who can establish that a positive test was caused by contamination, including through medication, food or drink, environmental exposure or another person.
• They will also provide greater flexibility in sanctions in certain circumstances, with rehabilitation-focused options for some recreational drug cases unrelated to sporting performance.
• Players will be informed in November which pool they have been assigned to, though individual classifications will not be made public.
• All players, regardless of their testing pool status, must provide a sample when requested by a doping control officer, with refusal carrying a potential ban of up to four years.
Source: Reuters
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