In February 2023 the International Tennis Federation (ITF) reported an anti-doping rule violation against the Italian tennis player Stefano Battaglino after his A and B samples tested positive for the prohibited substance Clostebol in a low concentration.
Following notification a provisional suspension was ordered. The Athlete filed a statement in his defence and he was heard for the ITF Independent Tribunal.
The Athlete denied the intentional use of the substance and requested for a reduced sanction. He stated that during the match in Morocco he had a medical time-out and that the cream or lotion used by the tournament physiotherapist was the source of the positive test.
The Athlete argued that 21 days earlier he was tested without issues whereas he used to check thoroughly his medications and supplements for prohibited substances. Furthermore his attempts to contact the physiotherapist were unsuccesful.
The ITF contended that the Athlete failed to produce any corroborating evidence regarding the source of the positive test. No Clostebol creams are available in Morocco and the ITF deemed it highly unlikely that the tournament physiotherapist would use a product containing a prohibited substance at an ITF tennis tournament.
The Panel concludes that the Athlete has not, on a balance of probabilities, rebutted the presumption of intentionality. He failed to demonstrate with corroborating evidence how the prohibited substance had entered his system.
The Panel acknowledges that the tournament physiotherapist lack to respond substantially increased the difficulty for the Athlete to prove the source of the prohibited substance.
Therefore the ITF Independent Tribunal decides on 30 October 2023 to impose a 4 year period of ineligibility on the Athlete, starting on the date of the provisional suspension, i.e. on 1 February 2023.
