Simona Halep, the former world No 1 and two-time Grand Slam champion, has had her four-year doping ban reduced to nine months after a successful appeal process with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
It brings to an end a saga that left Halep's tennis career hanging by a thread. She was suspended in October 2022 after testing positive for roxadustat – a banned substance that stimulates the production of red blood cells – at the US Open that year.
In addition to the failed drug test, which carried a two-year suspension, Halep was charged with another doping offence last year due to irregularities in her athlete biological passport (ABP), a method designed to monitor different blood parameters over time to reveal potential doping. That added another two years to her ban.
Halep, 32, conceded last year that if the four-year ban was upheld, it would mean the end of her career. With the suspension now reduced, she can plot her return to the tour.
Here is everything we know about Halep's case and what's next for the Romanian.
What was Halep banned for?
In October 2022, the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) confirmed Halep tested positive for roxadustat during the US Open in August that year. Roxadustat is a substance that stimulates the production of red blood cells and is used to treat anaemia and kidney problems.
Having been provisionally suspended for almost one year for the failed drug test, Halep was hit with another suspension in September 2023 after being charged with irregularities in her ABP.
Following a review by an independent tribunal, which upheld both decisions from the ITIA, the action was taken to suspend Halep from tennis until 2026.
Halep immediately announced she would begin the appeal process, saying in a statement: “I take the rules that govern our sport very seriously and take pride in the fact I have never knowingly or intentionally used any prohibited substance. I refused to accept their decision of a four-year ban.”
How did Halep get the ban reduced?
On Sunday evening, it was announced that Halep's four-year ban had been reduced to nine months following the CAS ruling.
The former French Open and Wimbledon champion launched her appeal to CAS in February, arguing that the positive test was the result of a "contaminated product" and anomalies in her biological passport could be linked to surgery she had undergone.
The court ultimately sided with Halep that she did not intentionally take the banned substance, and therefore reduced her suspension.
"The CAS Panel has unanimously determined that the four-year period of ineligibility imposed by the ITF Independent Tribunal is to be reduced to a period of ineligibility of nine months starting on 7 October 2022, which period expired on 6 July 2023," CAS said in a statement Tuesday.
"Having carefully considered all the evidence put before it, the CAS Panel determined that Ms Halep had established, on the balance of probabilities, that the Roxadustat entered her body through the consumption of a contaminated supplement which she had used in the days shortly before 29 August 2022 and that the Roxadustat, as detected in her sample, came from that contaminated product."
"As a result, the CAS Panel determined that Ms Halep had also established, on the balance of probabilities, that her anti-doping rule violations were not intentional.
"Although the CAS Panel found that Ms Halep did bear some level of fault or negligence for her violations, as she did not exercise sufficient care when using the Keto MCT supplement, it concluded that she bore no significant fault or negligence."
Additionally, CAS completely dismissed the second charge of the two-year ban pertaining to irregularities in Halep's ABP – a decision completely at odds with the ITIA's original charge and punishment.
How did Halep react to the ban reduction?
Halep released a statement on social media following the ruling to share her relief at being found innocent of intentional doping. "
In the midst of this challenging journey, my unwavering belief in the integrity of the truth and in the principles of justice has been my beacon," she wrote. "Despite facing daunting accusations and formidable opposition, my spirit remained buoyant, anchored in my unwavering conviction of being a clean athlete.
"This ordeal has been a testament to resilience, and the triumph of truth is a bittersweet vindication that, albeit delayed, is immensely gratifying."
When can Halep return to tennis?
Halep is free to return to professional tennis immediately. As per the CAS ruling, her suspension ended in July last year, so she can theoretically be back in action imminently.
What will Halep's ranking be?
When Halep does return to the WTA Tour, she will do so unranked. While her suspension was significantly reduced after she was found not guilty of intentional doping, she still failed a drug test and therefore surrendered her ranking points.
As per the IATA website, "when a player regains their eligibility [from a doping suspension], they must start competing at the bottom of the professional game".
Halep, who was ranked world No 9 when she was provisionally suspended in 2022, will need to rely on wildcards and invitations to compete in the WTA Tour's top-tier events, until her ranking returns to a high enough level for automatic entries.
How will Halep fare on her return?
A question that can only be answered when she does, in fact, return to the tour. Halep has not played competitively since a first-round defeat at the US Open in August 2022, meaning she has been absent for more than 18 months.
At the age of 32, it's not too late to revive her career but it will take time for her to get back to a level that will make her competitive at the top end of the women's game.
Maria Sharapova, the five-time Grand Slam champion, went through a similar process when she was handed a two-year suspension in 2016 after testing positive for meldonium. The Russian had her ban reduced from 24 to 15 months but was never quite the same player when she returned.
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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
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The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
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Omar Yabroudi's factfile
Born: October 20, 1989, Sharjah
Education: Bachelor of Science and Football, Liverpool John Moores University
2010: Accrington Stanley FC, internship
2010-2012: Crystal Palace, performance analyst with U-18 academy
2012-2015: Barnet FC, first-team performance analyst/head of recruitment
2015-2017: Nottingham Forest, head of recruitment
2018-present: Crystal Palace, player recruitment manager
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Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
