Controversy over the "painless punishment" over the men's ATP tour's singles world No. 1 singles star Sinner tested positive for doping. Because the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) imposed a three-month ban on Sinner, who tested positive for doping in March last year, and a six-year ban on a Spanish figure skater who recently tested for the same drug.

World No. 1 Italian rising star Sinner

The Associated Press reported on the 18th: "Spanish figure skater Laura Balchero was tested for the anabolic steroid clostebol and was punished by a 6-year WADA ban." "Clostebol, which was also detected by Sinner in a positive doping test, has the effect of accelerating protein synthesis and promoting muscle development and tissue regeneration. In the two cases in which the same drug was detected, one was banned for three months and the other for six years, the difference in the ban period was huge, and Sinner's "world's No. 1 preferential controversy" was further amplified.

Balchero tested positive for the first time at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, and the six-year penalty will not end until February 2028. On the contrary, Sinner will be able to participate in the French Open, a Grand Slam tournament that opens at the end of May, as long as he accepts a penalty between February and May this year.

The Associated Press conveyed WADA's position: "WADA explains the difference between the Sinner and Balchero cases. Because Balchero does not clearly state the situation in which clostib enters the player's body. ”

Balchero at Beijing 2022 (above)

According to WADA: "Based on the evidence, we do not believe that the explanation of how the positive components of the stimulant entered the body of Barchero are not convincing. Therefore, this is completely different from the Sinner case. ”

On the contrary, in Sinner's case, there is evidence that definitively confirms the player's explanation. Sinner has explained that during the course of physical therapy, the physiotherapist's negligence caused the ingredients of clostib to enter the body. WADA also added: "The six-year penalty imposed on Balchero is the result of an agreement signed between WADA and the International Skating Union (ISU), as well as the athletes themselves. If Balchero does not agree to this punishment, she can seek a decision from the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). ”