In March 2019 the International Tennis Federation (ITF) has reported an anti-doping rule violation against the Belgian tennis player Aurore Felsenhart after her A and B samples tested positive for the prohibited substance Cannabis in a concentration above the WADA threshold.
After notification the Athlete gave a prompt admission, waived her right to be heard, accepted a provisional suspension and the sanction proposed by the ITF.
The Athlete explained that at a party 9 days befort the Doping Control she had smoked Cannabis while she was unaware that some cake she ate also contained Cannabis. Here the ITF accepts that the Athlete’s explanation is scientifically plausible and that her ingestion of Cannabis was out-of-competition in a context unrelated to sport performance. The ITF finds that the Athlete established No Significant Fault or Negligence and that there are grounds for a reduced sanction.
Therefore the ITF decides on 8 May 2019 to impose a 2 month period of ineligibility on the Athlete starting on the date of the provisional suspension, i.e. on 29 March 2019.
