Winner Sinner
Hall of Fame
There is still some time to go before the conclusion of the long-standing “Clostebol case”, which involves Jannik Sinner for the now well-known contamination that cost him a double positive test for doping last March, but the arbitration panel of the CAS in Lausanne is starting to take shape. While waiting to find out who will be the “most relevant” arbitrator, namely the one from the Swiss court, the names of the two parties involved, WADA and Sinner’s defense, have been revealed. The Israeli Ken Lalo will plead the appeal of the Anti-Doping Agency, while the American Jeffrey Benz will support the Italian’s arguments
Lalo, with an Israeli and American passport, is considered a very knowledgeable figure on the subject of doping and known for his rather uncompromising positions. As reported by the Gazzetta dello Sport, he is 66 years old and has three children, and has been on the list of arbitrators of the Court of Arbitration for Sport for over ten years.
Jeffrey Benz, the arbitrator chosen by Sinner’s legal team, was a figure skater and has been on the list of CAS arbitrators since 2000. He recently dealt with a very thorny tennis case, that of Simona Halep, taking her defense. The arbitration of the former number 1 saw a rather positive conclusion for the accused, since the disqualification for having taken doping substances due to a contaminated supplement (provided by collaborators of her coach Mouratoglou) went from 4 years to 9 months (after having already served two in the very long wait for a trial.
WADA has accepted Sinner's good faith behavior, therefore his will not to cheat, but nevertheless decided to appeal to the CAS in Lausanne because it believes that the ITIA procedure that totally exonerated the Italian was not correct from the point of view of negligence, that is, that Jannik should have more scrupulously controlled the work of his staff, for which the tennis player is responsible. On the contrary, the legal team and the referee who defends the player in the new procedure will have to demonstrate that Sinner was not negligent, having done what was possible to avoid contamination. If the negligence theory passes, Sinner risks a period of disqualification, otherwise he will be acquitted again.
Obviously, the WADA referee will push for negligence, Sinner's for the opposite theory, therefore the choice of the third subject, the one appointed to the Sports Court in Lausanne, and the idea that will be formed during the new hearing will be decisive.
The times are still uncertain and long. No hearing before mid-February but the availability of all parties involved will be necessary, including witnesses, experts, etc., and also the presence of Sinner in the weeks in which he will not play. Possible hearings therefore before Indian Wells or after Miami. To have a sentence we will still have to wait many weeks.
Lalo, with an Israeli and American passport, is considered a very knowledgeable figure on the subject of doping and known for his rather uncompromising positions. As reported by the Gazzetta dello Sport, he is 66 years old and has three children, and has been on the list of arbitrators of the Court of Arbitration for Sport for over ten years.
Jeffrey Benz, the arbitrator chosen by Sinner’s legal team, was a figure skater and has been on the list of CAS arbitrators since 2000. He recently dealt with a very thorny tennis case, that of Simona Halep, taking her defense. The arbitration of the former number 1 saw a rather positive conclusion for the accused, since the disqualification for having taken doping substances due to a contaminated supplement (provided by collaborators of her coach Mouratoglou) went from 4 years to 9 months (after having already served two in the very long wait for a trial.
WADA has accepted Sinner's good faith behavior, therefore his will not to cheat, but nevertheless decided to appeal to the CAS in Lausanne because it believes that the ITIA procedure that totally exonerated the Italian was not correct from the point of view of negligence, that is, that Jannik should have more scrupulously controlled the work of his staff, for which the tennis player is responsible. On the contrary, the legal team and the referee who defends the player in the new procedure will have to demonstrate that Sinner was not negligent, having done what was possible to avoid contamination. If the negligence theory passes, Sinner risks a period of disqualification, otherwise he will be acquitted again.
Obviously, the WADA referee will push for negligence, Sinner's for the opposite theory, therefore the choice of the third subject, the one appointed to the Sports Court in Lausanne, and the idea that will be formed during the new hearing will be decisive.
The times are still uncertain and long. No hearing before mid-February but the availability of all parties involved will be necessary, including witnesses, experts, etc., and also the presence of Sinner in the weeks in which he will not play. Possible hearings therefore before Indian Wells or after Miami. To have a sentence we will still have to wait many weeks.