Doping Is for Dopes: WADA Appeals Against Sinner Doping Decision
They say “Never meet your heroes,” and sadly, it’s starting to look like they might just be right after all. Tennis hero Jannik Sinner was recently accused of doping, using illegal chemicals to improve his tennis game at the cost of giving himself an unfair advantage over his fellows. There's not much “dope” about doping. In fact, only a dope would dope. Pun aside, there have been serious accusations against Jannik Sinner that could hamper his career going forward. He might just be the next Lance Armstrong, today a hero, tomorrow a zero. However, he is innocent until proven guilty, and only time will tell whether these allegations were blown out of proportion, or our “hero” was secretly a fraud all along.
It seems like not long ago, tennis fans were celebrating Sinner beating Taylor Fritz to win the U.S. Open title. Now, the World Anti-Doping Association has lodged an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. It seems Sinner has tested positive twice for clostebol, a prohibited substance. Clostebol, an anabolic-androgenic substance, can be used as a performance-enhancing drug and is prohibited by the WADA. It was once used in an East German state-sponsored doping program. Clostebol can be used in dermatology to heal infected skin wounds, so maybe this was just a big misunderstanding. Or, perhaps there was a false positive somewhere along the line. Whatever the case, Sinner's fans will have to wait and see whether or not he can come out of this clean.
One thing is clear, doping is never a good idea, never. Those who prosper from doping seldom prosper for long. Their misdeeds are brought to light, and a dark shadow falls over their past accomplishments. Why, just look at Lance Armstrong, once a celebrated athlete, now known mostly for his doping. So clearly, playing an honest game is more important than winning via dubious means. Don't be a dope, never dope.
So in conclusion, it is currently ambiguous whether or not Sinner is guilty as charged. However, either way, things look fairly bleak. Even if he's innocent, people will always remember this controversy. And if he's guilty, well, people will wonder why they followed him all these years just for things to end this way. Moments like these make tennis fans wonder who else has committed fraud. In conclusion, it is a bleak, bleak day for tennis fans everywhere.
