Tennis Player Suspended for Doping: The Tennis Integrity Agency Acts
London – Professional tennis player Goncalo Oliveira, who represents Venezuela, has been suspended for four years by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) after testing positive for methamphetamine. Oliveira’s provisional suspension began in January, following a test conducted in November 2024 during the ATP Challenger event in Manzanillo, Mexico. Both sample A and sample B of the player contained the prohibited substance. The tennis player born in Portugal denied having consumed the drug and presented his defense before an independent tribunal. However, the tribunal determined that Oliveira could not prove that the presence of the drug was involuntary. Considering the time he was provisionally suspended, Oliveira will be able to compete professionally again on January 16, 2029. Oliveira reached his best doubles ranking in August 2020, reaching the 77th position in the world.This case is reminiscent of similar situations in the world of sports, where athletes have argued that a kiss was the cause of a positive result in a doping test.
