New Delhi: Italian tennis youngster Jannik Sinner’s nomination from the Laureus sportsman of the year award for 2024 was withdrawn on Thursday because of the current three-month ban sanctioned on him for returning with two positive doping tests for a prohibited substance last year in March.
Sinner was tested positive for the traces of the banned anabolic steroid clostebol. After much noise around his doping case, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) announced on February 15, 2025, that it had entered into a case resolution agreement for the case of the Italian player. The 23-year-old accepted a three-month ban period from February 9, 2025, to May 4, 2025, for the doping violation.
Sean Fitzpatrick, who is the chairman of the Laureus World Sports Academy, stated that the ban action had prompted the body to withdraw the nomination of the three-time Grand Slam champion from the award.
“Following discussions by the Laureus Academy it has been decided that Jannik Sinner’s nomination for this year’s Laureus world sportsman of the year award is to be withdrawn,” Fitzpatrick said.
“We have followed this case, the decisions of the relevant global bodies and — whilst we note the extenuating circumstances involved — feel that the three-month ban renders the nomination ineligible. Jannik and his team have been informed,” the former New Zealand rugby union player added.
Serbian tennis legend Novak Djokovic was named the winner of the Laureus sportsman of the year award for 2023 while Spanish football star Aitana Bonmati was adjudged as the best sportswoman of the year. The nominees for the upcoming awards will be announced on Monday (March 3) in Madrid.
WADA’s controversial settlement with Sinner
Sinner’s ban, which was earlier expected to be sanctioned for a year or two with WADA being firm on its stance after the world body challenged the decision of an independent tribunal of the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) finding the player to bear no fault or negligence for the doping violation.
WADA made an appeal in the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) to challenge the ITIA’s verdict for Sinner. However, the global anti-doping body’s settlement with the player, citing Article 10.8.2 of the WADA Code, raised many eyebrows across the globe. Many superstar players such as Djokovic and Daniil Medvedev questioned WADA for its conduct of the case.
Jannik Sinner’s Laureus World Sportsman of the Year nomination was withdrawn following a three-month ban for a positive doping test for clostebol. The Laureus Academy chairman confirmed that the ban was the reason for revoking the nomination. Tennis Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
