Who is to Blame in Jannik Sinner's Doping Scandal?

When tennis star Jannik Sinner tested positive for a banned substance, he blamed contamination—but under strict liability, intent doesn’t matter. WADA is taking up this fight at the CAS.

By Pauline Mbanza. This article was first published by the Gujarat National Law University’s Centre for Sports and Entertainment Law. It has been lightly edited for flow. Its views do not necessarily represent those of The Sports and Crime Briefing.

When Tom Hicks won the marathon at the 1904 Summer Olympics, he collapsed due to a mixture of brandy and strychnine in his system. His team had fed these to him as he was showing signs of tiredness due to the competition. Yet it would take decades for the IOC to ban the substance, as part of its early anti-doping efforts in the 1960s. The first doping tests for conventional substances were held at the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich, while anabolic substances were banned in Montreal in 1976. The latter also saw athletes’ test results being made public and the introduction of bans. This progress continued with the creation of WADA in 1999.

Yet, despite this progress, a blame game often arises when an athlete tests positive.