Tennis players involved in doping or match-fixing investigations are now eligible for free legal help, confidential counseling or money to test products they’ve taken that might have led to a positive drug test, the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) announced Wednesday.
The trial program begins immediately and will be reviewed after next year.
A player can receive up to $5,000 for a lab accredited by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) to check a medicine or a supplement for contamination or the same amount for help identifying possible sources of contaminated meat — a frequent explanation for failed doping tests in sports.
Sport Resolutions, an independent dispute resolution service that runs tribunals for anti-doping cases in tennis, is extending its free legal support in such cases to when a player first tests positive for a banned substance. Until now, this service was available only after a player was charged.
And Sporting Chance, an organization that works with athletes on their mental health, will provide six sessions of well-being support for people being investigated for anti-corruption or anti-doping violations.
