Zanellato tested positive for the banned substance boldenone while competing at an ATP Challenger event in Ibague, Colombia, in June 2024. Boldenone is an anabolic steroid involved in several failed tests by minor league baseball players recently.
Zanellato initially was banned in August, and an appeal of that provisional penalty was denied later that month.
The ITIA’s full decision mentions that Zanellato “denied having deliberately or knowingly used boldenone and asserted that he must have ingested meat contaminated with boldenone while in Colombia, where use of boldenone as a growth promoter in cattle is common.”
Zanellato “obtained further evidence and documentation” that “included detailed receipts, and information on the source of meat consumed during a number of visits to an independent restaurant outside of the tournament environment,” the ITIA said.
That is why, the decision said, “The ITIA accepts the player has established that it is more likely than not that the boldenone found in his urine sample … was due to the presence of boldenone residues in the beef that he consumed in the days and/or hours prior to collection of the sample.”
Zanellato’s “explanation was verified as plausible by independent scientific experts,” the ITIA said.
He was cleared on Tuesday, making him immediately eligible to return to action.
A footnote on the ruling says: “For the sake of clarity, the ITIA notes that it is not automatic that a case of meat contamination (with Colombian beef or otherwise) will lead to a no fault or negligence finding.”
