Tennis Talk

by Savannah

Update on the Richard Gasquet Drug Case

French sports journal L'Equipe reports that Richard Gasquet has been suspened by the ITF until a hearing can be held. The original French is followed by my translation.

Contrôlé positif à la cocaïne en marge du tournoi de Miami, pour lequel il avait déclaré forfait, Richard Gasquet a été suspendu à titre provisoire par l'ITF, lundi. Cette sanction prend effet immédiatement, et sera en vigueur jusqu'à une audience devant la commission antidopage, dont la date reste à définir.

After testing positive for cocaine in Miami after having withdrawn from the tournament there the ITF has suspended Richard Gasquet effective immediately. It will stay in effect until a hearing to be held before the anti doping commission. A date has not been set.

British press reports say the following:

The International Tennis Federation says an anti-doping tribunal should be assembled within 60 days to hear the case.
(...)
"He's suspended until the end of the hearing," ITF spokesman Neil Robinson said. "We're now assembling an anti-doping tribunal. The ideal timeframe is within 60 days, but people have to fly in from all over the world for it."

Gasquet's father has said that someone put cocaine in his son's drink but drug experts advise that there are three main ways of ingesting cocaine: snorting it, smoking it and injecting it. In order to inject the drug it is mixed with a liquid of some kind but the solution is not normally added to someone's drink. Rock singer Stevie Nicks is said to have been administered enema's laced with cocaine.