Iga Swiatek failed drugs test: What is trimetazidine – the substance at centre of controversy?

Oli Dickson Jefford 28 Nov 2024 5:03 PM

Iga Swiatek reacts during a match

Iga Swiatek finds herself at the centre of huge controversy after it emerged on Thursday that the world No 2 had failed a drugs test back in August 2024.

The five-time Grand Slam champion and former world No 1 was provisionally suspended from September 22 – October 4, and has eight days of a one-month suspension still to serve.

Swiatek tested positive for trimetazidine shortly after her Cincinnati Open campaign in August and has been stripped of her prize money from that event.

Amid the latest doping saga to take tennis by storm, we look at what trimetazidine is – and why Swiatek has been sanctioned for testing positive for it.

What is trimetazidine?

Trimetazidine is not an uncommon drug, with it being sold under a range of different brand names, usually to treat issues such as angina or chest pain.

In France, the drug is also used to treat conditions such as tinnitus and dizziness.

The drug is a metabolic agent and can help increase blood flow and supply, and prevent the narrowing of coronary arteries – which supply blood to the heart.

Why is it banned?

The drug has been in use since the 1970s and is available in dozens of countries, though was only banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency [WADA] back in 2014.

Trimetazidine is banned under the category of ‘hormone and metabolic modulators’ and is prohibited “in- and out-of-competition” – meaning, unlike some substances, it is banned at all times.

Though it does not increase heart rate in the way that similar banned substances can, trimetazidine is believed to help athlete endurance – the key reason why its use is prohibited.

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Has anyone else tested positive for trimetazidine?

The short answer to this question is: yes.

In fact, trimetazidine has been at the centre of some of the most infamous doping scandals of recent years.

Perhaps the most famous case involving the substance is that of Kamila Valieva, the Russian figure skater engulfed in huge controversy at the Winter Olympic Games in 2022.

It emerged during the Games in February 2022 that Valieva had tested positive for trimetazidine in December 2021, engulfing the teenager in a huge media storm.

Furthermore, Chinese swimmer Sun Yang tested positive for the drug back in 2014, as did a further 23 Chinese swimmers back in 2021.

The reasoning behind Swiatek’s ban

Swiatek has been handed a one-month ban, which is on the lenient side because she has been found to be of “no significant fault of negligence” regarding her failed test.

The Pole and her team were able to prove that melatonin, another medication Swiatek uses, had inadvertently been contaminated with trimetazidine.

In a statement, she said: “The detected concentrations, which was extremely low, suggested – or rather made it obvious – that either the sample was contaminated, or a supplement or medication that I was taking was contaminated, which is why we focused on running tests on all nutritional supplements and medications I was taking.

“The test showed that melatonin, I’ve been using a long time, the batch I had on me and had used before the Cincinnati tournament was contaminated during manufacturing. It was a shock to hear, but explained a lot – and locating the source is key in these cases.”