Oct 21 (Reuters) - Tennis players will lose a longstanding exemption from strict anti-doping whereabouts requirements during tournaments from January 2027, the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) said on Wednesday.
• Changes to the World Anti-Doping Code require players in a sport's Registered Testing Pool (RTP) to provide a daily 60-minute testing window during competition from 2027, ending an exemption previously granted to tennis because of the unpredictability of players' schedules.
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The ITIA, an independent body that protects fairness in the game, said that it would reduce the size of its RTP, moving around 80% of players currently in the group to an expanded testing pool where the daily 60-minute requirement will not apply.
• "Players who remain in the reduced RTP will be required to provide a daily 60-minute time slot like athletes in every WADA-compliant sport, both in and out of competition," the ITIA added.
• The number of players selected across both testing pools will be broadly consistent with the current testing pools, and testing frequency and volume are unlikely to change.
• The new rules will also provide greater protection for players who can establish that a positive test was caused by contamination, including through medication, food or drink, environmental exposure or another person.
• They will also provide greater flexibility in sanctions in certain circumstances, with rehabilitation-focused options for some recreational drug cases unrelated to sporting performance.
• Players will be informed in November which pool they have been assigned to, though individual classifications will not be made public.
• All players, regardless of their testing pool status, must provide a sample when requested by a doping control officer, with refusal carrying a potential ban of up to four years.
(Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in BengaluruEditing by Christian Radnedge)
