In November 2022 the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA), on behalf of the International Tennis Federation (ITF), reported an anti-doping rule violation against the South African wheelchair tennis player Mariska Venter after her A and B samples tested positive for the prohibited substance Subutramine.
Following notification the Parathlete admitted the violation, waived her right for a hearing, accepted a provisional suspension and the sanction proposed by the ITIA.
The Parathlete denied the intentional use of the substance and assumed that her weight loss pills 4S Forever could be the source of the prohibited substance. She asserted with evidence that she properly had researched the ingredients of these pills before using.
Analysis of these pills in the Ghent Laboratory revealed the presence of Subutramine contaminants. Furthermore the Montreal Laboratory confirmed that the test results were consistent with the Parathlete's use of these pills at the material time.
In view of the evidence the ITIA accepts that the Parathlete has demonstrated that the violation was not intentional as a result of her use of contaminated weight loss pills. Considering the Parathlete's conduct in this case the ITIA determines that she acted with No Significant Fault or Negligence.
Therefore the ITIA decides on 15 March 2023 to impose a 12 month period of ineligibility on the Parathlete, starting on the date of the provisional suspension, i.e. on 14 December 2022.
